Germany Boss Reveals Why Liverpool Star Florian Wirtz Can't Find His Form
Rudi Völler, the sporting director of the German Football Association, has offered his perspective on Florian Wirtz's challenging beginning at Liverpool, attributing his sluggish adaptation to broader team dynamics.
Following two outstanding campaigns in the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen, Wirtz joined Liverpool in a record-breaking £116 million ($155.4 million) transfer. The Merseyside club later surpassed this record once more by securing Alexander Isak during an unprecedented summer spending spree, leading many to anticipate the defending champions would cruise to consecutive league titles in 2025–26.
Nevertheless, after an encouraging opening period filled with dramatic moments, Liverpool have suffered three consecutive defeats across all competitions, with significant attention focused on Wirtz's performances. The German midfielder has failed to register any goal or assist in competitive matches for his new team and was relegated to the substitute bench during their 2–1 loss to Chelsea on Saturday.
Wirtz will now take a break from club pressures by joining the German national squad for their October World Cup qualifying matches, potentially adding to his 33 international appearances.
"We're delighted to have him [Wirtz] with us for the next 10 days. I'm confident he'll produce two excellent international performances," Völler commented about Liverpool's underperforming creator on Sky90.
The former German striker has extensive knowledge of Wirtz, having served as Leverkusen's sporting director for 17 years from 2005 to 2022, before later taking charge of the national team temporarily. With 90 international caps and a World Cup victory to his name, he spent considerable time playing abroad during his career.
Völler therefore understands the challenges of adaptation, but believes Wirtz's current struggles are more strategic in nature.
"The major distinction is: at Bayer Leverkusen, regardless of his teammates' individual talents, he was consistently the focal point," he explained.
"Players such as Granit Xhaka, Alejandro Grimaldo or Robert Andrich undoubtedly controlled proceedings. However, whenever Florian positioned himself to receive possession, the ball invariably found him. Even as a youngster, he was already the primary orchestrator."
While the data sample remains limited, statistics support Völler's theory. Wirtz's touches per 90 minutes have declined to 59.1 in the Premier League compared to 80.3 in the Bundesliga last season and 85.3 in 2023–24. The attacking midfielder accumulated 22 league goal contributions across his final two seasons in Germany.
"I specifically analyzed several Liverpool matches featuring him: he demonstrates tremendous work ethic, covers significant ground, makes numerous sprints, and drops deep frequently," Völler added. "However, he isn't receiving the ball in the manner he experienced at Leverkusen or with the national setup. This integration requires development over several weeks and months."
Despite the challenges Völler outlined, he remains confident that the "exceptional" Wirtz will eventually establish himself at Anfield.
"He will prove his worth," the 65-year-old declared with certainty.