Lothar Matthaus suggests why Florian Wirtz may be struggling to get going at Liverpool so far

Add as preferred source on Google

Florian Wirtz was Liverpool’s first big signing of the summer transfer window.

Arne Slot managed to fend off the likes of Manchester City and Bayern Munich to get his man, with the Reds sealing a deal worth around £116million for the attacking midfielder.

Many fans expected him to instantly hit the ground running at Anfield, especially since he contributed to 31 goals across all competitions for Bayer Leverkusen last season.

Unfortunately, things haven’t quite gone to plan for the young German since his arrival, with rival fans often questioning why the Reds spent so much on him in the first place.

Lothar Matthaus backs Florian Wirtz despite slow start at Liverpool

There’s no hiding from the fact that Wirtz is an incredibly talented player.

The attacking midfielder clearly has a keen eye for goal, and although he may have only had one assist in his Liverpool career thus far, it’s going to take some time for him to adjust.

Not only is the Premier League a massive step up from the Bundesliga, but the fact that Wirtz is only 22 years old will also have a part to play.

He’s a young lad, in a country he’s only just moved to, and, even though Jeremie Frimpong is there to help him, it’s clearly going to take time for him to be at his best.

These are also the exact thoughts of Germany legend Lothar Matthaus, who, while speaking to Sky Germany, said he’s also been where Wirtz is now regarding the “pressure” he’s feeling.

“This is normal, after such a big move abroad. But he is a great player, will get used to the Premier League over time and be able to handle even greater pressure,” he said.

“I felt the same way at Inter Milan at first. Andi Brehme, whose transfer was rather silent, immediately performed in Milan.

“I also had to get used to everything because of the media hype and the higher transfer fee.”

Liverpool must give Florian Wirtz time to get to his best

Before he ended up making the move to Liverpool, Wirtz was seen as the best number 10 in the world.

The attacking midfielder was the talk of the town, with Bayern Munich being incredibly disappointed that they missed out on the Leverkusen ace.

Indeed, the Reds have put a lot of their eggs into one basket by signing Wirtz, but now that players such as Alexander Isak have also joined, some of the pressure may get taken off the German’s shoulders.

Of course, it’s still early days at the moment, and although Liverpool would have likely preferred to see more from their number 10 than just one assist so far, we are only three games into the 2025-26 season.

So, with this in mind, as long as Wirtz’s form picks up before Christmas comes around, things should be smooth sailing.

However, if they don’t, then who knows what could happen.