Florian Wirtz is yet to score for Liverpool since his £116m move from Bayer Leverkusen, but Thierry Henry has offered a convincing theory as to why he is struggling.
Florian Wirtz was always going to struggle when he joined Liverpool, as his experience in Germany did not prepare him for the Premier League. That’s the opinion of Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, who offers a thoughtful theory about the £116m summer signing’s woes.
Wirtz has yet to make an impact since joining Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, with just three assists in 16 games so far. The Germany international arrived with an excellent reputation after two impressive performances with Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, but this has not translated into consistency at his new club.
Gary Neville was another critic of Wirtz, harshly describing him as “like a little kid” during Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City before the international break. Arne Slott was unable to find his optimal playmaker position in a 4-3-3 formation and was absent from Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest with a minor injury.
Appearing on Sky Sports ahead of Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Tottenham on Sunday, Henry explained his thoughts on the differences between the Premier League and Bundesliga and why that perhaps explains Wirtz’s problems.
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“It’s not easy to come into a team and perform right away, as we saw with Florian Wirtz at Liverpool. But I always have a question mark about people who perform in Germany, and that’s just me,” he said.
“I’m not saying they wouldn’t perform in a different league. I’m just saying that given the way that league is, it’s really stretchy, so if you can run well you’re going to get a lot of chances, goals and assists. That’s very difficult in this league because people can run together.”
Henry also believes that the tactical trends prevalent in elite football do not suit players like Wirtz, who perform best when given space to move around and create. “If we talk about creation… do you think managers today are letting their players dribble or do they want to control everything so they don’t get counterattacks?” he explained.
“Always playing in a low block means it’s not always easy to create. Look at Arsenal. We don’t always create a lot of chances. We create a lot of set-pieces…compared to our time, we’ll create a lot less because the spaces are tighter because teams are playing low and not trying to bite in and out.
“And if you don’t let people dribble and make mistakes – as I always say, the reward is in the risk – then where are you going to go? You’re not going to get creative stats, and if you don’t take advantage of opportunities when you get them, you’re in trouble.”
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