Wirtz makes honest admission on Premier League physical challenge | OneFootball

Florian Wirtz has offered a clear snapshot of where he feels his game is right now, with the 22-year-old explaining how the Premier League’s physicality has forced him to adapt as we head to Sunderland looking for a response.

Liverpool’s trip to the Stadium of Light comes with pressure attached after the late collapse against Manchester City, but results elsewhere on Tuesday have kept the race tight, which makes improvements in performance feel even more important than any short-term narrative around form.

Wirtz’s comments (via Liverpoolfc.com) are useful because they are not vague confidence talk, and they are centred on what he has changed in his body and his duels, which also tells us how he believes he is playing at the minute.

“I think now I’m already in a better position than I was at the start because I think I got a bit stronger. I spent a lot of time in the gym!

“But it’s also the duels on the pitch and also in training and the extra work after training is helping me.”

That is as close as you will get to a player admitting the league has demanded more from him physically, while also making it clear that the response has been deliberate and structured rather than hopeful.

Florian Wirtz and Premier League physicality

(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Wirtz does not frame the Premier League as a problem, because the Germany international sounds like he is enjoying the fight, which matters when we are talking about a player learning how to influence games in England.

“It’s also nice to play this kind of football [that is] intense because I can run, I can fight and I like to bring that on the pitch.

“It just took me a little time to get where I am now, but I don’t want to stop there.”

That last line is the key to the reader question, because it is essentially Wirtz saying he feels better than he did early on, while still seeing room to go up a level.

Wirtz’s output and why the numbers support his point

(Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

The Sofascore data backs up the idea that Wirtz has been a steady contributor rather than a passenger, even if the finishing has not been as sharp as the underlying chance quality suggests.

Florian Wirtz 2025/26 Premier League stats (Source: Sofascore)

Those numbers point to a player getting on the ball, creating, and repeatedly arriving in attacking areas, even if the goal return could be higher given the xG.

That context also fits neatly with Pat Nevin’s recent view that Wirtz is starting to look like the kind of player who can shape matches for us rather than simply add moments.

Both Nevin and Wirtz himself have credited recent form to a building relationship with Hugo Ekitike.

And with Sunderland away offering another intense, physical test, the timing of Wirtz talking openly about strength and duels feels relevant, because that is exactly the sort of match where the Premier League does not let you hide.

You can watch Arne Slot’s pre-Sunderland press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:

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