As Mohamed Salah’s farewell tour continues apace, Liverpool are desperately seeking new heroes but are still overly reliant on the veterans. The next generation has to take the team forward but it was the calmness of the Egyptian and Virgil van Dijk that secured a dramatic late victory in the tightest of Merseyside derbies.
The summer’s recruitment was supposed to future-proof the Premier League champions but it has created a season of transition. One of the key arrivals was Florian Wirtz, bought for what was, briefly, a club record fee of £116m from Bayer Leverkusen. The costs of signing world-class players are always going to take the headlines but should soon be forgotten once the individual starts displaying his talents.
At 22, Wirtz has at least a decade to go in his career and will expect this year to provide a mere footnote once he retires. Moving leagues is always difficult for a young footballer, especially a creative No 10 who needs to have an unmatched speed of thought and movement to be the main instigator.
Almost no one at Liverpool can claim to have peaked this season and that clearly has affected those coming into the dressing room. If the people around you are not at their best, how can a newcomer expect to change the direction of travel? Many factors aid how a person settles in new surroundings and Wirtz has not received the assistance from others to make it a seamless transition.
Wirtz has positives to build on, having created the second most chances in the league thus far, behind only Bruno Fernandes, but that has brought three assists. There are plenty of extenuating circumstances, with his fellow attackers rotating around him on account of form and injury, bringing little continuity. The German requires telepathic relationships with teammates so he can know where the runs are being made and produce the precision demanded. These connections are yet to be made, leaving the midfielders and forwards wondering if a whitewater-rafting team-bonding session is the answer.
Everton acknowledged the potential threat Wirtz can cause, putting James Garner tightly against him in the first half, forcing the Liverpool No 7 to reimagine how the match would go. Wirtz was eager to drift into space to find the ball but was ineffective when he did receive possession. He often wanted too much time in his role of conjurer, causing him to be hunted down by opponents and dispossessed. The Premier League is significantly quicker than the Bundesliga but after eight months in England Wirtz should have shown greater signs of adapting.
Glimpses of quality shine through, providing a number of smart passes and flicks, but not in the positions Wirtz is supposed to cause carnage. He sits in an area where he should have greater influence, sparking things into life and dominating opponents by giving them the runaround. His stats on Sunday offer promise, topping the list for most chances created, defensive-line-breaking passes and successful passes in the final third, but they brought no tangible benefit.
Physicality is one issue, as Everton were able to push Wirtz off the ball regularly, but he is not the first of his stature to seek glory in the Premier League. There are elements of David Silva in his play, the way he wants to drive with the ball and outwit defenders, something the Spaniard did for years with great success and could provide the inspiration. Whatever Silva was doing, there was always an intensity to his actions, a trait Wirtz needs because he too often looks to be drifting through games.
Arne Slot felt there was nothing left for Wirtz to offer in a hard-fought game short of quality on both sides, withdrawing his playmaker with seven minutes of normal time remaining. Salah was the only member of the original front four to finish the game because his record shows that he can produce when it matters. Hugo Ekitiké was absent, as he will be for many months, but all other members of the bullpen were available to Slot and if they are to recover form next season, he will want to make changes, with the guarantee of needing to find an external Salah replacement because an in-house solution is unlikely.
Alexander Isak, Wirtz’s fellow nine-figure summer arrival and who is still working towards being fully fit, was another anonymous figure in the Liverpool lineup. He can point to more mitigating circumstances than Wirtz, joining after missing pre-season and suffering a broken leg since. His movement was rusty and the Everton centre-backs did not sweat much to keep him quiet before he was hooked.
The adversity of this season can make Wirtz stronger but he needs to start showing he is learning. Defeating Everton moved Liverpool closer to securing a return to the Champions League, a platform Wirtz will be desperate to prove himself on.
Van Dijk, the dependable captain, popping up with the latest of winners was fitting. Others need to start taking responsibility because Liverpool cannot count on those in their mid-30s to keep bailing them out for ever.
