Liverpool Analysis: Is Florian Wirtz Underperforming, or Are Expectations Too High?

 

Yes, Wirtz is underperforming for a £100m signing, but the loudest criticism lacks context. His chance creation is still elite; the end product just has not caught up. Across his first 38 Premier League appearances for Liverpool, he has recorded five goals and four assists.  When I look at those numbers, I see a tactical fit issue more than a decline in ability. The real question is whether this is temporary adaptation or a permanent ceiling. GoalBible honest read: it is closer to the former, and there are clear tactical reasons behind it.

 

Read More: Liverpool 2026/27 Season Preview & Premier League Predictions

 

Why Did Liverpool Have Such High Expectations for Florian Wirtz?

 

This was never going to be a low-key signing. Wirtz arrived at Liverpool already established as one of Europe's most productive attacking midfielders. I watched his final two Bayer Leverkusen seasons closely, and honestly, the numbers looked almost too good to carry over to the Premier League. But they were genuine.

 

 

His 2023/24 campaign stood out the most. Wirtz was central to Leverkusen's unbeaten Bundesliga title, their DFB-Pokal win and their Europa League final run. Opta Analyst mentioned him among Europe's top chance creators that season, and that is exactly why the hype was so loud when he moved to Anfield. Performances like that build a specific expectation: hit the ground running.

 

The transfer fee only added to it. Pay what Liverpool paid, and the adaptation window shrinks fast. Wirtz was not arriving as a project to develop quietly for two or three years. He was expected to contribute from day one. Keep that in mind when you see the criticism around him.

 

What Went Wrong in His First Liverpool Season?

 

The first season fell short of expectations. Seven goals and eight assists across 49 appearances weren't what Liverpool supporters expected after his Leverkusen form. His adaptation also overlapped with a tactical rebuild.

 

Liverpool shifted away from their familiar 4-3-3 and used a 4-2-3-1 more often, which redefined the attacking midfielder's job. Szoboszlai had been helping on the right, often covering for Salah and Alexander-Arnold's advanced positioning. Wirtz was handed a freer central role instead. That was the logical move. Give him the ball in central areas and let him create. But logical on paper and functional on the pitch are two different things.

 

That should have suited him. The issue was structural. Liverpool still had to solve how Wirtz, Salah and the centre-forward could share dangerous areas without crowding one another, and the attack often looked like it was still figuring that out.

 

Why Is Jamie Carragher's Criticism Worth Discussing?

 

Carragher's criticism matters because it targets exactly that missing element. He was not just saying Wirtz had a bad game against Bournemouth. He questioned whether his performances since the transfer have been a temporary problem or something deeper.

 

That is a fair question. Against Bournemouth, some of the criticism had evidence behind it. Wirtz completed 26 of 37 passes and lost possession 15 times before coming off in the 71st minute. Losing the ball in advanced areas is not automatically a problem, but several of his passes were visibly loose.

 

The stats also offer another view. He created three chances, won six of eight duels and recovered possession four times. More importantly, his near-post run helped create the situation that led to Alexander Isak's winning goal. No assist, but still part of the sequence.

 

I would not dismiss Carragher's point, but I also would not treat that Bournemouth game as proof Wirtz has hit his ceiling. The criticism names a real problem: Liverpool need more decisive influence from him. It just does not explain why that influence has been limited.

 

Source: Opta Analyst

 

One stat from last season stands out. Wirtz created 95 open-play chances in all competitions, at least 27 more than any other Liverpool player. That does not make his debut season a success, but it does challenge the idea that he simply failed to contribute. His influence was there. The output was not.

 

Could Liverpool Open Themselves Up to Offers for Wirtz?

 

It is way too early to talk seriously about Liverpool selling Wirtz. But I get why people are asking, especially with that price tag hanging over him. When you pay that much for a player, every quiet game gets magnified.

 

Jermaine Pennant reckons Liverpool would not sell quickly because Wirtz is still the kind of player a squad needs. I tend to agree. His underlying numbers make this messier than just staring at his goal tally. The chances he creates and the passes he progresses still tell me there is a real player in there somewhere.

 

Dietmar Hamann is more impatient. He says Wirtz needs to start influencing games more consistently. Honestly, that's what Liverpool should be watching, not just whether he scores enough.

 

If Wirtz keeps creating, keeps progressing the ball and keeps growing his influence, I think the talk around his future stays pretty calm. But if those numbers start sliding too? Then the fee and the expectations get a lot harder to brush off.

 

Has Wirtz Improved in 2026/27, Statistically?

 

Yes, but only to a point. There are encouraging signs that Wirtz is becoming more influential this season, even if that has not yet shown up in consistent goals and assists.

 

His passing numbers stand out. Wirtz has made 19 progressive passes in the Premier League, while his 43 line-breaking passes at 9.6 per 90 are almost double last season's 5.2. That tells me he is taking more responsibility for pushing Liverpool's attacks forward. It reads like a player growing into the role rather than shrinking from it.

 

His off-ball work has improved too. Wirtz has regained possession in the opposition's final third six times, and his 419 pressures show he is far more active when Liverpool do not have the ball. He has also covered the most distance of any Liverpool player in three of his five Premier League appearances. That kind of running rarely makes highlights, but it matters.

 

There have been flashes of the player Liverpool expected, especially against Nottingham Forest and Atlético Madrid. Even in quieter games, he has still produced moments that can change an attack.

 

Consistency is the key issue. Wirtz is influencing games in more ways than last season, but those contributions still need to become decisive actions in the final third. The underlying signs are positive. The biggest improvement still has to come in the end product.

 

Is Wirtz Doing Too Much Defensive Work at Liverpool?

 

Wirtz may be doing too much defensive work at Liverpool. His 419 pressures and six recoveries in the opposition's final third show that he is working hard without the ball, but this level of defensive involvement does not necessarily mean more value for Liverpool.

 

Dietmar Hamann made a similar point, arguing that Wirtz may be working too hard going backwards and that the balance in his game has become wrong. I can understand that view. Wirtz's biggest strengths are his creativity, movement and ability to make things happen in advanced areas. If he is spending too much energy helping Liverpool recover possession, I think there is a risk that he arrives in the final third later or with less influence.

 

That does not mean Wirtz should be exempt from defensive work. Modern attacking midfielders have to contribute without the ball. But I believe Liverpool need to protect the part of his game that made him worth such a significant transfer fee.

 

Is Wirtz Being Asked to Create for Liverpool, or Finish for Liverpool?

 

I think Liverpool are asking Wirtz to do both, but his role has been much closer to creator than primary finisher. He created 60 chances in the Premier League last season, second only to Dominik Szoboszlai's 78, while Mohamed Salah created 49. Yet Wirtz finished with five goals and three assists, which shows the gap between his creative involvement and his final output.

 

Salah had almost three times as many touches in the opposition box, while Wirtz created more chances. That tells me they were doing two very different jobs. Wirtz was often the one building the opportunity, while Salah was the one positioned to finish it.

 

 

I don't think Liverpool needs to turn Wirtz into another Salah. His creativity is already one of his biggest strengths. But I do think Liverpool now needs Wirtz to remain a creative hub while taking on greater responsibility in the final third. With Salah no longer at the club, there is a bigger need for Wirtz to turn his high involvement into goals, assists and decisive attacking moments.

 

Why Klopp Believes Wirtz's Liverpool Struggles Need More Context

 

Klopp believes Wirtz's Liverpool struggles need more context because the midfielder did not arrive at a normal Liverpool side. He joined the club during a period of major emotional disruption following Diogo Jota's death, while the team was also adapting to significant changes on and off the pitch. From my perspective, that makes his first season harder to judge in isolation.

 

Andy Robertson also described the difficult environment surrounding Liverpool's new signings at the time. That matters because adapting to the Premier League is not simply about learning a new league or tactical system. Players also have to adapt to the culture, expectations and atmosphere of a new dressing room, and Wirtz was doing that while Liverpool were dealing with circumstances far beyond football.

 

That does not change Wirtz's numbers, and I would not use it to excuse his lack of goals and assists. However, it does make me cautious about treating his debut campaign as a complete reflection of his ability. Liverpool's wider instability made it harder to separate Wirtz's individual struggles from the problems around him.

 

Klopp now believes Wirtz has learned from that first season and is physically in a good place. For me, that makes 2026/27 a more important test. The difficult circumstances provide context for what happened before, but they cannot remain the explanation if Wirtz's attacking output continues to fall short.

 

GoalBible Conclusion: Wirtz Needs Output, But He Also Needs Time

 

I do not think Wirtz has hit the level Liverpool expected yet, and that criticism is fair. But saying he has shown nothing at Anfield ignores too much of his game. His chance creation, progressive passing and off-ball movement tell me there is still a high-level player underneath the limited goal contributions.

 

The next step is obvious. He needs to turn those positive moments into goals, assists and match-winning performances. For now, I would place the fairest conclusion somewhere between the two extremes. Wirtz has not failed at Liverpool. But he has not yet become the player Liverpool believed they were signing, either.

 

What Does Liverpool’s Current Form Mean for Their Next Match?

 

Liverpool's attacking numbers and Florian Wirtz's creative involvement also provide two useful angles for their upcoming clash with Manchester City. Rather than looking at the markets in isolation, these selections reflect the attacking patterns and individual trends highlighted throughout the analysis.

 

Note: Odds correct as of 25 September 2026.

 

For Over 2.5 Goals, Liverpool's attacking numbers provide a clear reason to consider the market. They produced 3.69 xG against Newcastle and 2.61 against Nottingham Forest, showing that their chance creation has often been stronger than their final goal return. That also fits the broader Wirtz picture discussed above: while his end product has remained inconsistent, his progressive passing, movement and chance creation can still add another layer to Liverpool's attacking play. With Manchester City already scoring 13 goals in their opening five league games, both sides have enough attacking quality to make this a potentially open contest.

 

Interestingly, the expectations around Wirtz have always been more about overall attacking contribution than pure goalscoring. He was previously priced at 26.00 to score 20+ Premier League goals, suggesting the market did not necessarily expect him to become a traditional high-volume goalscorer. Instead, the broader expectation was for an attacking midfielder who could contribute through both goals and assists. That makes his current creative involvement particularly relevant when assessing Liverpool's attacking markets. If you spot the Over 2.5 Goals market at 1.61 with Duel, that is a reasonable place to consider a bet.

 

Note: Odds correct as of 25 September 2026.

 

Wirtz's goalscorer market is interesting because he has shown some shooting involvement without finding the net yet. Opta records 12 Premier League shots and three on target from five appearances this season, alongside one assist in 404 minutes. With Wirtz starting all five league matches, he has consistently had time to influence the final third. So, his anytime goalscorer price offers a way to assess whether his current attacking involvement can finally translate into a goal.

 

Also, when I compared him with Dominik Szoboszlai, who has operated in a similar attacking midfield role, Wirtz is priced slightly shorter at 4.90–5.00, while Szoboszlai is at 5.25 with Duel and Roobet. Across these odds, bookmakers are giving Wirtz a slightly higher implied probability of scoring. While that does not guarantee a rebound, the pricing is at least more supportive of Wirtz finding his end product than suggesting his current lack of goals will continue indefinitely.

 

However, that is still a long way from the expectations around him before his first Liverpool season, when he was priced at 3.75 to score 10+ Premier League goals and 2.88 to provide 10+ assists. The current market is therefore more cautious: bookmakers still see Wirtz as a credible goalscoring threat, but his price suggests a single-match scoring opportunity rather than an expectation of consistently elite goal output.