Football writer Ninad Barbadikar looks at why Liverpool's big summer signing is yet to register a goal involvement following his move from Bayer Leverkusen.
Liverpool have claimed four wins out of four matches in the Premier League thus far. The start of the season perhaps brought a great deal of excitement with a 4-2 win over AFC Bournemouth and 3-2 victory at Newcastle United.
The latter of their four successes against Arsenal and promoted Burnley have been decided by a single goal.
A concerning recurrence for Liverpool fans has been the lack of tangible output from their German playmaker-in-chief, Florian Wirtz.
However, with his promising display against Atletico Madrid in a UEFA Champions League thriller for the Reds on Wednesday, the German playmaker showed the home fans what he is all about.
The 22-year-old enjoyed back-to-back Bundesliga campaigns with Bayer Leverkusen where he scored and assisted 10+ goals, helping the club to an unbeaten league triumph and cup double in the 2023/24 season under Xabi Alonso.
Though he showed signs of promise against Atletico, it hasn't yet clicked for Wirtz at Anfield yet, so how has he impacted Liverpool?
A step forward on the big stage
Performances in the Premier League may not be up to the mark just yet for Wirtz, however, with his display in the 3-2 win against Atletico, he imposed himself in more ways than one.
For Liverpool’s early goals, Wirtz’s role in both was primarily off the ball, where his movement between the lines was causing all sorts of problems for Atletico midfielders trying to keep tabs on him.
Not only that, towards the end of the half, where he saw more of the ball on the left, he combined with Alexander Isak to create two chances inside Atletico’s box within the space of two minutes. He was close to scoring his first goal if not for Jan Oblak’s quickness in closing him down.
Drifting from the outside of the flanks into the half-spaces on the left, Wirtz was helped by seeing more touches in the final third.
Wirtz was at his artistic best in the second half, combining with Mohamed Salah on the right, and Isak as well as Hugo Ekitike later in the game on the left.
With Liverpool defending their lead at 2-1, there were opportunities to be had in transition, which is where Wirtz thrived in linking at speed with Liverpool’s frontline.
Out of possession, Wirtz ran tirelessly in helping the Reds turn the ball over higher up the pitch. By the time he was replaced by Rio Ngumoha, no Liverpool player had more touches in the opposition box (seven) or created more chances (five) than the diminutive German.
Change of role? What is Slot trying to achieve?
A useful starting point in this conversation would be to look at how he was being used at Leverkusen and how it compares to what he’s doing now for Liverpool.
Under Alonso, Leverkusen played in a 3-4-2-1 shape which saw Wirtz occupy the left-sided No 10 role, and though he normally had license to roam across the final third and influence in an all-round fashion, the young German did his best work when cutting in from off the left.
Given Leverkusen’s dominance with the ball against most opponents, Wirtz did not drop deep into midfield areas as much and was devastating in the final third, linking up with his Leverkusen team-mates.
At Liverpool, Slot has so far used Wirtz as the main No 10 in his 4-2-3-1 system, which sees him flanked by Cody Gakpo and Salah. Another of Liverpool’s summer acquisitions, Ekitike, has spearheaded their attack in 2025/26, scoring twice and assisting once across four league matches.
Given the profiles currently occupying the attacking positions, Wirtz has predominantly seen his touches come closer to the right flank, where he is closer to Salah.
Wirtz's open-play touches at Liverpool 25/26
What this does for a player like Wirtz is slow down his natural style of play, which usually involves receiving on his left and then cutting inside on his right to play give-and-goes with team-mates or test the goalkeeper himself.
Wirtz’s technical superiority when compared with most players makes him a singularly unique player. The ability to play clever little touches and then spin into space behind unlocks opposition blocks and in the Premier League, this is an invaluable quality for Slot to have in his squad.
Across his career, Wirtz has usually operated closer to the left half-spaces from where he can do his best work. For now, at least, there is a degree of adjustment for him to create an impact off the right in terms of goals and assists.
Wirtz's open-play touches at Bayer Leverkusen 24/25
Not only is Wirtz seeing more of the ball on the right, he’s often dropping deeper into the midfield line and sometimes even picking up the ball from the centre-backs.
He is press-resistant and can be effective in deeper areas too, as he has already shown for Liverpool. However, this again takes Wirtz away from the areas where he can be most impactful, creating problems in the final third.
Wirtz's chances created in open-play 25/26
Just five chances created from open-play is evidence of his role so far in this Liverpool side. It is less about him struggling and perhaps more about the team still figuring out itself with all the new personnel in the side.
There’s been some concern over Salah’s form as well, who has started this season slower than his usual sharp self.
Salah has two goals and an assist so far, yet remains one of the most influential attackers in Liverpool’s build-up sequences.
After a career-best 2024/25 season, his moderate start to the new season has raised eyebrows, though Salah will no doubt return to his best sooner rather than later.
Positive effect on other players?
Salah’s dip in form is a concern on an individual level, however, Wirtz’s arrival has certainly helped Ekitike, as the pair have shown promising chemistry in the final third with their movements for each other.
Both youngsters have similar tendencies in terms of dropping off from the front line and making themselves available for linking up with the players in the middle.
Gakpo is seeing more of the ball on the left than he did previously, and with Wirtz’s arrival there is less pressure on the Dutch international to create, so he can instead focus his energies on maximising shooting opportunities.
Wirtz's attacking sequence involvements 25/26
Liverpool’s left flank is not just occupied by Gakpo as Ekitike also tends to drift wide here to make channel runs. This often forces Wirtz to stay closer to the middle and in doing so, not have the best angles to play team-mates into space, or even take on defenders himself.
It is perhaps all the more impressive then, that Wirtz ranks third in the league for Secondary Chances Created with seven behind only Elliot Anderson and Bruno Fernandes, with eight and 10 respectively.
What will Slot aim to do in the Merseyside derby?
The upcoming Merseyside derby will undoubtedly be another tough test for Slot, who has one win and one draw against Everton.
Big changes in Liverpool's starting XI are unlikely, but in terms of his approach, Dutch tactician Slot needs to focus on getting Wirtz further up the pitch and into the left half-spaces.
Almost all of Wirtz's best moments across his four league appearances have come when he picks up the ball in those areas. Given that David Moyes will certainly take ideas from Burnley’s setup against Liverpool, it is all the more important that Wirtz can be in a position to make the best impact.
After scoring for Germany over the international break, perhaps Wirtz’s first Liverpool goal is just around the corner.