Wirtz, promises, and payback – how Arne Slot turned Liverpool’s Real Madrid chaos into clarity
The fact that the Wirtz is still to come was the biggest enigma in the recent Liverpool crisis.
One of the main causes of frustration during those six losses in seven games, which mercifully put an end to any Quadruple talk long before it could start and seriously complicated hopes of a first successful title defence in forty years, was the ongoing difficulties faced by their most significant addition of a historically lavish summer.
This week, Arne Slot declared that his £100 million acquisition had “brought exactly what we expected.”
However, it is hard to imagine that part of Liverpool’s offer to Wirtz included him failing to score in his first three months and not starting the Merseyside derby or matches against Chelsea and Manchester United.
It would have been unimaginable to miss Real Madrid at home, the team he “definitely would” have signed for, run by the coach who made him such a ridiculous talent.
It appeared to be just another game with neither an assist nor a goal. However, it was also the night that the penny, not Wirtz, was dropped.
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“I believe Florian was possibly on the ground just after we scored, and the noise they made,” Andy Robertson remarked following the game.
“Yeah, this is where you want to play, these are the games you want to be a part of,” the boys thought as they looked about.
It would have been a much-needed break. Wirtz ran the show and at least 0.76 kilometres farther than any other player.
Only Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley made more ball recoveries, but no one finished more passes that resulted in a shooting or passes into the penalty area.
Wirtz, who was positioned on the left flank ahead of Robertson but was allowed to move around, relished the opportunity and easily had his greatest Liverpool performance.
The old Slot layout, which performed exceptionally well last season, is strikingly similar to the new one.
With hard-working full-backs, an energetic and disciplined midfield spine with the ravenous Dominik Szoboszlai at the tip, and strikers keen to work together rather than alone, this is the shape and structure Liverpool needs. The relationship between Wirtz and Ekitike appears especially abundant.
Arsene Wenger, who claims to be remarkably knowledgeable about both the private tactical talks between Slot and Wirtz and the transfer negotiations that took place this summer, sees it as a kind of treachery.
Before the Real Madrid match, Wenger informed beIN Sports, “Wirtz had the choice between going to Bayern Munich and to Liverpool.”
“I’ll come to you if I play number 10—I don’t want to play wide,” he told Liverpool. Liverpool says, “Okay,” to get him. Gravenberch, Mac Allister, and Szoboszlai made up their midfield, so they smashed it.
“They removed Szoboszlai to play Wirtz, and what did they do against Aston Villa? They reverted to their midfield from the previous season.
The manager has stated that “if you want to play a game, you have to play wide, because I do not want to disturb the midfield,” thus I’m confident Wirtz will play on the sidelines when they play him tonight. It will be intriguing to observe.
Cody Gakpo, a player only Mo Salah can surpass in terms of appearances and goals for Liverpool under Slot, must be sacrificed in order for the experiment to be successful.
But the Reds have to make the decision if it gives Wirtz a platform and Gakpo is a strong threat off the bench.
This was the first continuous, genuine look at the player the rest of the world coveted, the coup Liverpool believed they had pulled off.
Szoboszlai specifically apologised for missing one of the crucial opportunities Wirtz set up for him, and Slot observed that “he has been so unlucky throughout his career here at Liverpool because even today he created so many chances for the team, but the goal we scored wasn’t an assist or a goal from him.”
This allowed his detractors to keep a desperate hold on the stick with which they can continue to routinely beat him.
In the end, it won’t matter as long as Wirtz contributes enough to the club both on and off the ball and the foundation is set.
The German “just kept on running, kept on winning the balls, running back,” as Szoboszlai put it.
As Wirtz made his way to Slot for one more tactical debrief after leaving to an Anfield ovation, there was undoubtedly a hint of Adam Lallana collapsing into Jurgen Klopp’s arms after his first game as Liverpool manager.
Wirtz was tired yet ecstatic, a hazy, disoriented image that had finally come into focus. For some time now, Liverpool has been prepared to follow the Flo; now they know how.
