Florian Wirths has explained how he overcame the difficult early stages after joining Liverpool in a £116m deal from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer.
Florian Wirtz has improved as the season has progressed (Image: Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
Florian Wirtz has revealed that he spoke frequently to German manager Julian Nagelsmann during his difficult early days at Liverpool. Werts arrived at Liverpool with high expectations thanks to his £116m price tag, but did not get off to the best start on Merseyside.
The 22-year-old playmaker attracted attention with his performances and impressive attacking ability, joining from Bayer Leverkusen. He made 45 appearances for Leverkusen last season, scoring 16 goals and providing 15 assists, but found things much more difficult in Arne Slott’s team.
Wirtz failed to score or assist in his first 12 Premier League games with his new club, until things turned around in December. The German international was criticized for his lack of impact as Liverpool’s Premier League title defense quickly crumbled.
Although Slott frequently defended his summer deal, Wirtz explained that the conversation with Nagelsmann really helped give him confidence that things would turn around. “The coach always supported me during the difficult period after my move to Liverpool and always listened to me,” Wirtz told German TV show Sportschau. “He gave me tips and made me feel at ease, which made our bond even stronger.”
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Many experts initially doubted whether Wirtz’s game would be successful in the Premier League. “It wasn’t an easy phase,” he added. “Things don’t always go up, and sometimes it’s good to experience the downs and come out stronger from them.
“I still think so. It made me a little stronger. I had to overcome resistance and adapt. I had to learn to be stronger and hold the ball.”
Wirtz has improved as the season has progressed and currently has six goals and nine assists in 40 games across all competitions. He scored two goals and provided two assists for Germany in their 4-3 win over Switzerland last week and will be a key part of Nagelsmann’s side at this summer’s World Cup.
Florian Wirtz has a good relationship with Julian Nagelsmann (Image: Ralf Ibing/Getty Images)
“At a certain point I had to keep believing in myself that it was going to work out, because I was saying to myself, ‘I’ve done so well in Germany, there’s no way I’m going to forget how to play football like this here,'” he told the BBC in January.
“It wasn’t easy to gain confidence on the pitch, but I think I coped well. I’m very happy that I made the decision[to join Liverpool]even if it wasn’t an easy start.”
He played an hour in Germany’s 2-1 friendly win over Ghana on Monday night and will return to Liverpool. They face Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, before the first of two Champions League last-eight ties against Paris Saint-Germain.
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