On paper, Liverpool have one of the best squads in Europe, but if you didn’t know it and tuned in to Wednesday’s first half against Sunderland, you wouldn’t have known it. In fact, if you turned in to any random Liverpool game in 2025, there’s a decent chance you’d think these Reds were a mid-table outfit at best.
Still, if one wants to dig for positives, they can be found. Positives like summer signing Florian Wirtz, who in the past two games has stood out for all the right reasons and appears to have
now found his footing in the Premier League. He was Liverpool’s best player from the start on Wednesday—and ensured they ended the night with at least a point.
“I’m disappointed we didn’t win,” Wirtz reflected following the 1-1 draw. “Of course, when you go 1-0 down it’s always better to get a point than zero, but of course we wanted to win, so I’m a bit disappointed but also a bit proud that we came back after a setback. At the moment though it is not easy for us.
“Not everything is going in our way, but we have to be patient and keep the hard work up. We didn’t have so many chances in the first half, but the 1-0 was a bit unlucky—I think we could have won the duel before and then also the deflection was a bit unlucky. But in the end we get one point and that is better than nothing.”
The good thing for Liverpool is despite their struggles this season, they haven’t lost touch with the top four as from fourth-place Chelsea to Everton in tenth is only a three point gap. If they can find their feet and start to perform and earn results to match the squad’s quality, there’s a chance they could be the side that separates from the chasing pack.
Right now, though, settled into eighth a point behind the newly promoted Sunderland side that came to Anfield and earned a deserved point of their own last night, feels fair based on their overall play—and if they can’t find their feet and start to perform soon, there’s every chance it will be another side separating.
“We have unbelievable quality in the room, personalities and great players,” Wirtz added. “We just have to find each other a more and create a bit better momentum for us and then I think everything will go in our direction. But we have to work hard and stay together as a team and as a club, then hopefully we’ll be more successful.”
