Florian Wirtz put on a brilliant display against Galatasaray, proving to Arne Slot that he can be effective off the left wing.
He only pitched in with one assist during Liverpool’s demolition of Galatasaray, but the German’s fingerprints were all over the match.
Slot chose to start Wirtz on the left, but he drifted into his more familiar free-roaming number 10 role. Starting him ahead of Cody Gakpo or Rio Ngumoha hasn’t always worked out this season, but it was a proof of concept for that tactical approach.
It worked so well that Wirtz was able to etch his name into the Liverpool Champions League history books during Wednesday night’s 4-0 win.
Who was your Man of the Match in Liverpool’s rout of Galatasaray? 💪
Florian Wirtz’s chance creation sets Liverpool record
Everything was working for the 22-year-old in this display.
According to Opta, Wirtz created more chances (8) than any Liverpool player in the Champions League since tracking began in 2003/04. More than Steven Gerrard, Mo Salah or any modern Liverpool great.
This, in a crucial knockout round where Liverpool needed to pull out a dominant performance.
Wirtz continues to show his crazy playmaking potential, and the thought of him taking another leap in his second season is enough to get any Liverpool fan excited. What we are seeing from him is the key to this team returning to the top level.
Defensive frailties also need to be worked out, but it’s on the offensive end where Liverpool can gain back the margins they have lost since last season’s title run.
When everyone is available, there are some difficult choices for Slot to make all over the pitch, but one thing that should be automatic is the inclusion of Wirtz and Dominik Szoboszlai on the teamsheet.
Those two seem to be involved whenever Liverpool play this well.
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