Ian Wright: one factor has slowed the rise of Florian Wirtz | OneFootball

Liverpool’s encouraging win at West Ham may prove more significant for how it helped reshape the narrative around Florian Wirtz, rather than the result alone.

Ian Wright explains the challenge facing Wirtz at Liverpool

(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Speaking on Premier League Productions (via PlEYE on YouTube), Ian Wright laid out the reasons why the gifted German needed patience after a mixed opening spell.

“It’s unfortunate for him at the minute because for him to come to the Premier League it’s massive, it’s big,” the former striker said.

He added: “He’s come for a lot of money and his ability is not in doubt but then you have to try and come in and you have to find your feet.”

Wright went further when assessing the wider context. “Obviously if it was a Liverpool of last season, he comes in and he slips in brilliantly,” he said.

“But then ideally you want him to come into a winning team… unfortunately at the moment they can’t quite get themselves going.”

That sense of disruption aligns with what George Mills recently noted, as the BBC reporter suggested our No.7 “might need a year of beef burgers and deadlifts” to fully adapt to the physical demands of English football.

For us, those concerns already look smaller after his display at London Stadium.

Carragher says West Ham performance showed the real Wirtz

Picture via @LFC on X

Jamie Carragher was similarly impressed, insisting this looked far closer to the version of the player that Liverpool expected they’d signed.

“I think it was the first sign of seeing, not just a player for Liverpool, but I said when he came in he could be a replacement for Kevin De Bruyne,” the former defender said.

His statistical output backed that up, with Florian Wirtz against West Ham producing a 7.0 Sofascore rating built on sharp decision-making and efficient ball use.

Carragher also praised how tidy he was in possession. “He didn’t lose possession often, he was very clever with the ball… 42 out of 45 [passes], which is a lot for a player who is supposed to make key passes.”

Arne Slot now faces the task of keeping the former Bayer Leverkusen star in his optimal role, especially after how influential he was in the build-up to Alexander Isak’s breakthrough goal.

His questioned physicality looked far more assured in London and with our head coach aiming to settle a Liverpool side still climbing back towards the top positions, this may be the moment where our summer signing finally begins to take full control of his Premier League journey.

If this really was the performance Carragher believes it was, then Sunday might prove to be the turning point Liverpool have been waiting for.

You can watch Slot’s post-West Ham press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:

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