Florian Wirtz gives candid verdict on his form after talks with Arne Slot

Florian Wirtz has opened up on talks with Arne Slot about his early struggles to adapt at Liverpool, with a theory as to why he is yet to produce consistently.

Wirtz has certainly not performed poorly since his £116 million move from Bayer Leverkusen, but the clamour around his transfer has ensured a higher level of scrutiny.

Given he is yet to score or assist since his debut in the Community Shield against Crystal Palace the No. 7 has unsurprisingly attracted criticism.

Speaking to Sky Germany, Wirtz admitted the difficulty he has faced in adjusting to life in the Premier League and the belief he gained from a conversation with Slot.

“I recently talked to the coach about it, and he suggested why I might not be able to get into the situations I normally get into,” the playmaker revealed.

“That is, that I’m making the game fast with a dribble or a pass. He said it could be because we press a lot and I run a lot.

“For example, the running stats: I’m always at the top there because I try to push hard and do what the coach asks.

“I need a lot of strength and energy for that, so when I have the ball I might be lacking a little bit.

“[He said] that it will simply come step by step, as I play more games, get fitter, be able to do things more easily, and then, when I have the ball, be fit enough and recovered enough to push hard.”

It is a valid explanation, with Wirtz required to be more involved off the ball than he was at Leverkusen, while also playing in a league that is considerably more intense all round.

“In Leverkusen I could sometimes, not rest, but jog back a bit. I’ve gotten a scolding from Xabi now and then if I didn’t sprint back completely,” he continued.

“Here, I can’t afford to rest, and so I have to take every possible route.”

Why Slot left Wirtz out of the Merseyside derby

Fortunately he has joined a Liverpool side in flying form and with a head coach and backroom staff who have a strong understanding of load management and the value of patience.

“After the [Atletico Madrid] game, he told me I wouldn’t start [against Everton] because he wanted to control the load a bit and see which game I could play better in,” Wirtz said.

“He decided on the Champions League game, that I would start there and then sit on the bench in the league.

“I fully understood that. I was able to recover a bit and didn’t have to exert myself as much.”

Players are clearly not impervious to outside criticism, particularly those of Wirtz’s generation who have been brought up immersed in social media.

“I don’t want to hear it all the time, ‘give it time, give it time’,” he stressed.

“Instead, I simply try to do better each time than before.

“And sometimes there are phases where maybe not everything goes your way; I haven’t had that very often in my career.

“Once I’ve gotten through it – that’s perhaps harsh to say, because I’m not playing badly, I just haven’t got the goal contributions yet – it will come eventually, and then everything will be fine.

“It’s no secret that I’d like to have more so far, but I’m patient, and as I just said, I know full well that I can play football well.

“Sooner or later, I’m sure that things will return to normal.”

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