Slot: “[Wirtz] Gets Better and Better”

Liverpool took all three points in a thorough and professional victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, marking one more big step forward for this iteration of Arne Slot’s Liverpool. Given the truly difficult

period that the club went through in October and November, no one’s taking any wins for granted, but it’s also entirely possible that folks’ might have been judging this squad’s performances a bit too harshly against the results.

One player that’s clearly seen an improvement in their fortunes over the past few weeks is Florian Wirtz. The German midfielder has seen not only his general play improve steadily, but his ability to grow and impose influence on any match has also bloomed over the last month or so. Last week, he notched his first assist and today, the creative engine finally got the goal he’d been waiting on.

Arne Slot took time to praise the young player during his post-match comments but also made sure to take some time to note that his performances have been quite good for some time and that the goal, as wonderful as it is, is merely a culmination of all the good work that Wirtz had been putting in over the course of the match.

“I think he’s had multiple good games for us but I also feel he gets better and better every single game he is playing for us. He gets fitter and fitter and was getting closer and closer to his first goal. Then it was not a surprise to me that he scored one today, but he would probably be the first one to understand that one goal is not enough. He will score many more goals for us than only this one, but I also liked his performance during large parts of the game today. I think he was special in a lot of moments.”

The boss’s point on Wirtz having a terrific match beyond the goal is a vital one – even accounting for a couple of matches where he’d been involved enough to warrant a Man of the Match award, this may still be the best complete performance Wirtz has had in Red. He floated across the pitch and made things very difficult for the Wolves defense. He also was a bit unlucky to not come home with an assist to go a long with his goal.

It’s clear that the game is starting to come much easier for the German attacker and encouraging signs beyond the play on the pitch are worth hanging onto for fans. For example, the player was subbed off in a tactical switch for Trey Nyoni in stoppage time. We’ve gotten so accustomed to seeing Wirtz get pulled earlier in the match that it felt a bit refreshing and a minor accomplishment to have him reach the 90 and, nearly, make it to full-time.

Lots has been made of Wirtz’s commitment to hitting the training room in order to meet the demands of the Premier League. It is great to see the fruits of that labor – as well as to get an example of the steely mentality that made him such a coveted player across Europe – be borne out on the pitch.

Here’s hoping that Arne Slot will continue to find ways to unlock Wirtz’s potential by building a structure that allows him to flourish and do what he does best: unlock the most stubborn and committed of footballing defenses.