No one would underestimate Slot’s task at Liverpool. Especially since, as we said, he’s still doing his best to work the talented but inexperienced Florian Wirtz into the squad’s rhythm. Despite the young German attacking midfielder’s reputation as a clever creator, recent performances have raised questions about his fit within the squad. Though Wirtz was a substitute in the start against Everton, he certainly had his moments. On the other hand, he often found it difficult to adjust to the Premier League’s speed and physicality.
Wirtz received praise in his native land for being a tough and crafty playmaker. He created five key chances in last Wednesday’s match up versus Atletico Madrid. If he’s proving us wrong in today’s Community Shield, let him do it with some goals to accompany those assists. This leads to a worrying question about his prospects: can he be that match-winner on a regular basis? Interestingly, 7 of Liverpool’s 14 goals this season have come when he hasn’t been on the field.
Even Slot himself has recognized the need to adapt his team, declaring, “This is the evolution of the team.” Adding Wirtz to the lineup would definitely shake up how well the current team clicks together. After coming on against Everton to replace Cody Gakpo on Monday Night Football, he managed to make eight passes. Even more significantly, fully 50 percent of these passes were laterally or even backward directed, indicating a clear failure to move decisively toward a forward direction.
Wirtz’s entry flipped the narrative of the game. Everton took full advantage, having their best spell of the half and accumulating an incredible amount of xG (expected goals) value. This creates a large question about whether Slot will be up to the task of balancing Wirtz’s on-ice integration with team cohesion.
Paul Merson, former footballer and pundit voiced concerns over Wirtz’s potential signing for Liverpool. He stated, “I’m not convinced on Liverpool. There are many more issues, as Slot has much work to do. I don’t feel like this Wirtz one is hitting the mark.” Merson underscored that Liverpool’s previous midfield trio had been instrumental in their league success last year, emphasizing the need for Slot to carefully manage Wirtz’s contributions.
Wirtz is proving to be a fast learner to the league’s rigors. All the while, Slot will have challenging decisions on how to best utilize Wirtz’s abilities while maintaining a competitive program. He noted the importance of Wirtz’s contributions to defensive situations, saying, “I see how many times he’s there to help out Conor [Bradley] with two-v-one situations, how many sprints he makes.” This highlights the dual nature of Wirtz’s potential impact—while he can create opportunities, he must contribute defensively.
The next few weeks will be pivotal for Slot. Given the breadth of Liverpool’s tremendous attacking talent, he’ll need to be diligent in determining the fair balance in deploying Wirtz. And now the team boasts more world-class players than ever before. That’s why it’s so important to determine how and when to deploy each asset.
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