Arne Slot has admitted that he finds it funny that Florian Wirtz’s assist for Dominik Szoboszlai against Eintracht Frankfurt counts as a goal contribution, but his involvement in Liverpool’s equaliser against Manchester United doesn’t.
Wirtz finally got out of his poor run of form against Frankfurt on Wednesday as the young German managed to get himself two assists in the Reds’ 5-1 Champions League win.
The midfielder was used on the right wing since Mohamed Salah was dropped to the Liverpool bench.
And, while many didn’t think that the German would play well as a winger, it actually gave him more freedom than ever and allowed him to get involved with Liverpool’s attack more often.
Indeed, you’d have still expected more than three goal contributions from a player who cost over £100million, but for now, the fact that he’s managed to chip in with a couple of assists should be celebrated.
While speaking in his pre-Brentford press conference, Slot gave his thoughts on Wirtz’s mid-week performance and why he found it “funny.”
Arne Slot is amused that Florian Wirtz’s second assist counted for Liverpool
Since joining Liverpool, Wirtz has been one of the Anfield outfit’s most unlucky players.
He’s always been the pass before the assist, or he’s managed to create something that someone such as Alexander Isak or Salah haven’t been able to put into the back of the net.
However, on Wednesday, the true creativity of Wirtz came out, and he proved why Liverpool spent over £100 million to bring him to Anfield.
This is good news for everyone, but Slot admitted that he was left amused by his second goal involvement counting as an assist, seeing as though he literally passed the ball five yards.
“I find it a bit funny, his second assist we call that assist, and the 1-1 goal involvement against Man United isn’t one for him, which is more difficult to do than the 5-1,” Slot said.
“His general game was something. We’ve seen more of that already. But if you lose a game, the focus is on the negative things, but when you win a game 5-1 with two set-pieces, people talk about your good attacks from open play.
“We generated the same amount of chances vs United, but the difference was we didn’t concede from a set-piece and scored from two.”
Liverpool need to continue playing Florian Wirtz on the wing if they want to get the best out of him
Last season, Wirtz was seen as the best number 10 in the world by many.
Liverpool have tried to replicate Bayer Leverkusen’s system, but since they don’t want to use three centre-backs at once, it makes Wirtz’s role slightly less free when he’s used as a central midfielder.
That’s because he is expected to also contribute defensively, and due to the physical nature of the Premier League, he’s often shut down before even being able to make a move.
However, in the 4-4-2, since he has a full-back behind him and a player next to him covering the centre of the park, he’s able to drift into the gaps that are created, rather than sticking to one area of the pitch.
This allows Wirtz’s creativity to flow for Liverpool and lets him put his impeccable passing range to good use.
Isak may not be fully fit for the next couple of weeks, but since Salah is one of the most clinical finishers on the team, he could be used as a striker alongside Ekitike, which could help him gain his confidence back, especially if he bags a goal or two.
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