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Florian Wirtz might be yet to score or assist for Liverpool, but there have been glimpses of what the German playmaker can do — take, for instance, the backheeled flick into the path of Mohamed Salah against Chelsea at the weekend.
That confident piece of play could easily have ended his assist drought, and there are several other examples of Wirtz's teammates not holding up their side of the bargain when it comes to scoring. The Liverpool number seven has been creating, even if there is still work to be done before he fully acclimatizes.
Wirtz admitted himself recently that he needs to get fitter and stronger, and at 22, he is young enough to require a settling-in period off the field, let alone on it.
Xabi Alonso loved Wirtz at Bayer Leverkusen, and his comments from that period show what Liverpool will have when the German gets properly up to speed.
"There are good players and there are players who look good on the pitch. The player who looks good does things that are nice, but not necessarily efficient," Alonso said in 2023.
"Why is Lionel Messi so good? Because he knows how and when to play simple passes. Messi says: 'You’re in a better position? Here, there you have the ball!'
"It’s not always about making the most brilliant move, but the best and smartest. Florian can do that. That’s why he’s so good."
Wirtz is not playing at his optimal level at the moment, but he will be helped when Alexander Isak is sharper and Salah finds some form. When they are each firing, that will be a tantalizing forward line.
"Florian Wirtz is a little different than [Juan Sebastian] Veron," Paul Scholes said on The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet.
"He’s more of a number 10, whereas Veron was more of a central midfield player. He just couldn’t settle into the team, and it disrupted the way the team played.
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"He was more of a free spirit, and he didn’t play the position that well. I think it’s the same with Wirtz — because the midfield players aren’t quite functioning and in-form, like Ryan Gravenberch who was brilliant last season.
"When you play that number 10 position, you have to be certain what’s behind you just to be a little more relaxed.
"There’s clear talent there with Wirtz. I love watching him receive the ball, but he’s not quite ready. You could say that about seven or eight of the Liverpool team."
Liverpool.com says: When you arrive for a fee of well over $100M, there is an expectation that you will hit the ground running. Liverpool made so many changes this summer, though, that it was always going to take time. At some point, everything will click into place, with Wirtz at the heart of it.
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