Former Red makes it clear how Wirtz must be used by Iraola

Photo: IMAGO
By Daniel Lee
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Wirtz Must Become Liverpool’s Centrepiece Under Iraola

Smicer Sends Clear Liverpool Message

Florian Wirtz arrived at Liverpool with the kind of price tag that changes the conversation before a ball has even been kicked. At £116m, there was never going to be patience in abundance, nor much room for quiet adaptation.

Yet Vladimir Smicer’s assessment feels both fair and timely. Speaking exclusively to Casinostugan, he said: “I think the price tag and the transfer money from Leverkusen to Liverpool was big, and the pressure was on Wirtz with statistics about how much his goals and assists cost.

“That pressure from the media and fans is behind him now. He’s preparing for the World Cup with his team-mates for the national team.

“But a player like him will be under pressure all the time. You have to perform for Liverpool, and now for Germany. They will expect a lot from him. Two years ago at the European Championship, expectations were not that high, but this time he’s two years older and has more experience.”

That is the Wirtz reality. Pressure does not disappear. It only changes shirt colour.

Iraola Must Solve Wirtz Puzzle

Liverpool did not spend club record money to own a luxury option. They bought a footballer who, at Bayer Leverkusen, became one of Europe’s most devastating central creators.

Smicer’s point is simple. Wirtz needs a defined role.

“They need to build the German team around him. At Leverkusen, the team was built for him and he was a free player with wingers on the side and a striker. In Liverpool, we were trying to find his best position all season. He was playing right, left, as a striker, and behind the striker.”

That final line matters. Liverpool spent too much of last season treating Wirtz as a problem to be fitted in, rather than a solution to be built around.

Central Role Can Unlock Liverpool

“If you buy a player for 130 million euros, you need to put him in his favourite position and build the team around him,” said Smicer. “If you buy Wirtz and play him as a left-winger, you throw that money away. You need to play him in his best position and then change other players.

“If you spend that kind of money on Alexander Isak or Florian Wirtz, you must play them in their best position. That’s the hard thing. If you play Wirtz as a winger, he will never give you as much. He will still perform, but he’s not going to be at his best. So I hope for him and for Germany that they play him in his best position so he can perform.”

For Liverpool, that means Andoni Iraola has a decision to make. Wirtz behind the striker, with movement ahead and width around him, feels the obvious route.

Germany Blueprint Offers Clue

Wirtz now carries German expectation into the World Cup. Liverpool should watch closely. If Germany give him freedom, structure and rhythm, they may offer Iraola the clearest possible lesson.

“I think he was enjoying playing for Liverpool, but of course when he was a left-winger he was just trying to do the job. You don’t feel the same confidence or feeling when playing in a different position.

“I just hope Andoni Iraola will find his position. I think his best position is behind the striker. Give him the freedom and it should work. If not, it’s going to be tough.”

That is the challenge. Liverpool did not buy Wirtz to survive on the margins. They bought him to shape games. Iraola’s first great task may be making sure he finally does.

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