£100m Liverpool star set for NEW role under Arne Slot | OneFootball

Liverpool went bold in the transfer market this summer, putting a lot of money on the table for some of the game's biggest stars. Now it's all about getting the best out of them on the pitch.

Alexander Isak has already started to make an impact, netting his first goal for the club against Southampton on Tuesday last week. It's hoped that he's nearly at full fitness now, having completed the 'preseason' training programme he was put him on to prepare him for the upcoming season.

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He offers a different dynamic in the striker role compared to Hugo Ekitike and so Arne Slot has a lot of tactical options to consider. His impact in the team should only improve the more games he plays.

With midfielder Florian Wirtz, however, it appears as though a different approach is required, as he's been noticeably struggling despite playing 599 minutes so far in Liverpool's opening eight games.

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Now might be the time for Arne Slot to experiment with him while he's adapting to our style of play.

NEW role for Wirtz in midfield?

The 22-year-old starlet was purchased for £100m as a creative midfielder, known for his prolific goal and assist record - 67 goal contributions in 94 games over the last two seasons at Bayer Leverkusen.

However, the German is yet to really set the touchpaper alight in England, although you can see the potential he has that's waiting to be unleashed. In a sense, he feels constrained in the current setup.

Slot used Dominik Szoboszlai in the No.10 role last season and the enigmatic Hungarian failed to deliver your archetypal performances you'd expect from an attacking midfielder. He occasionally chipped in with goals and assists, but it was the high press and off the ball work that impressed.

Now that Wirtz has been given the nod, you're seeing him have to adapt to the physical demands that Liverpool expect of him. The focus isn't on the end product anymore, it's helping the team to navigate past the opposition. He's having to adjust his game because of the high intensity.

In the midfield trio, the German plays with his back to goal, receiving the ball and having to take it on the half turn, rather than driving up the pitch with it, running at defenders like he's used to doing.

Across the eight appearances he's made, we've seen 19 key passes and three big chances created.

While that first number isn't bad at all, you feel the second number is a little concerning. If one of them had been taken, then we might not be having this discourse around him. But with no goals or assists in a competitive match yet, it feels rational to be concerned about our £100m asset's form.

One way in which Szoboszlai has been reimagined this season has been through playing him deeper in a No.8 role, where he sees more of the ball and can dictate play with passes through the lines.

Perhaps, it might not be a terrible idea to give Wirtz a go in the position, with Szoboszlai or even Ekitike playing in the No. 10. This way, you have a central midfielder who is given freedom to drift up and down the pitch, rather than staying high up and being marked out of the game.

The defensive responsibility on his shoulders might not suit him, but trying something different feels like a smart move, because it's clear that an adjustment needs to be made one way or another. The influence he had in Leverkusen's set-up was a sight to behold. We need to get him more involved.