Liverpool set new ‘main objective’ Florian Wirtz should be judged on and it’s not goals or assists – specialist reporter | OneFootball

Liverpool have decided the parameters on which they’ll be judging how Florian Wirtz is doing during his debut season as his wait for a goal contribution in the Premier League goes on, according to a specialist reporter.

Wirtz became the first player Liverpool ever paid a nine-figure sum for in the summer when they won the race to sign him from Bayer Leverkusen. However, he has gone without a goal or assist from his first 10 appearances in the Premier League. Some observers, whether of a Liverpool persuasion or not, aren’t impressed.

As he battles to convince his doubters, Wirtz has retained the faith of those who brought him to Liverpool in the first place, even if head coach Arne Slot hasn’t been as reliant on him as he might have expected.

And according to the Daily Mail, in a report written by Merseyside correspondent Lewis Steele, Liverpool aren’t even using the goal and assist metrics as their methods of judging Wirtz’s progress.

Instead, Steele has revealed: “Liverpool see the main objective for Wirtz this season as a physical one – can they bulk him up to the Premier League standard? Can they build up his base level of fitness so he can play at a high intensity three times a week?”

There has been a perception that Wirtz has found the Premier League to be more demanding physically than the Bundesliga, where he in turn was more effective in creating and converting chances.

And it looks like that’s the battle Liverpool want Wirtz to focus on winning, before feeling even more bogged down about his lack of goals or assists.

That might not be enough to appease the critics, though, since goals and assists – or a lack of – are a lot easier to spot in plain sight.

Those who think Wirtz is under-performing would argue a player who cost that much money should have been able to hit the ground running without too many questions being asked.

Wirtz primed to face former suitors

On Sunday, Wirtz will hope to get off the mark in the Premier League in his next appearance, but it’s a tough one against Manchester City.

Ironically, City were one of the clubs that looked at Wirtz before he joined Liverpool. The alternative they signed, Rayan Cherki, had equally been of interest to Arne Slot’s side.

There will no doubt be close attention on the two playmakers on Sunday evening to see which has the better impact.

The fee Liverpool paid for Wirtz means the pressure on him is greater, but what better occasion for him to turn up in the Premier League would there be than a direct battle against a rival to take their title – and, at that, one that he decided wasn’t the place he wanted to be when making his move this summer.

Wirtz took control of his destiny to choose Liverpool over City – and the likes of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid – this summer. Now, he’ll be hoping to take control of the narrative over his performances.

And whatever Liverpool will be seeing as progress, the best way for him to do that would be by scoring or making an assist.

It’s something that would have been possible with better finishing from his teammates at times, as Wirtz has still created 17 chances in the league this term.

Furthermore, the 23-year-old does have three assists to his name from games in the Champions League and Community Shield.

But time is ticking for him to register his first goal contribution in the Premier League nevertheless.

Liverpool transfer news: Szoboszlai future/Guehi belief

One of the players who will feel deserving of some of the opportunities Wirtz would be expecting to get in attacking midfield is Dominik Szoboszlai.

The Hungarian has adapted well this season and is forcing his way back into contention for the no.10 role, which has led to some predictions of Wirtz playing wider against City.

As for Szoboszlai’s future, there have been murmurings of interest from elsewhere over recent days, but Fabrizio Romano has shed light on his chances of a contract renewal at Anfield.