Liverpool were put to the sword against Manchester City on their first game back after the international break – but it took an hour and Ryan Gravenberch’s contentious red card for Anfield to fall.
True, the Reds did not so much fall as plummet toward defeat after Chris Kavanagh took it upon himself to ruin a heightened Premier League grudge match which had seen the hosts apply pressure and come close to beating Gigi Donnarumma on a number of occasions, but Andoni Iraola must be furious with the shortcomings of his side.
Sure, Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo were both absent through injury. Dominik Szoboszlai too. Sure, perhaps this game will be consigned to the vacuum of history when, maybe in only a few months, City’s punishment is wrought for years of serious and flagrant financial breaches.
However, Liverpool have their own problems to deal with, and the regression of Florian Wirtz is chief among them.
How Florian Wirtz has regressed at Liverpool
Wirtz has regressed at Liverpool, and that’s rather damning given that he has never reached much of a peak for the Premier League side.
The furore was quite something. Bayer Leverkusen’s superstar playmaker arrived for a £116m fee, billed as the man who would take Arne Slot’s title-winning project toward something even greater. Instead, the inverse has happened, and all the mitigating factors from last season can no longer disguise the fact that Wirtz is becoming a big problem at Liverpool.
Jamie Carragher has been a vocal critic, and this has earned for the Sky Sports pundit some significant backlash. However, it’s becoming more and more difficult to dispute Carragher’s opinion. Wirtz hasn’t been good enough for a while now, and after a 2025/26 campaign which left a lot to be desired, he is somehow worse under Iraola, in a more stable and coherent Liverpool system.
|
Florian Wirtz in the Premier League for Liverpool |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90) |
25/26 |
26/27 |
|
Matches (starts) |
33 (27) |
6 (6) |
|
Goals + Assists |
5 + 3 |
0 + 0 |
|
Touches* |
56.8 |
59.3 |
|
Shots (on target)* |
1.5 (0.5) |
2.3 (0.5) |
|
Accurate passes* |
36.4 (85%) |
33.5 (80%) |
|
Big chances created |
5 |
0 |
|
Key passes* |
1.8 |
1.8 |
|
Possession lost* |
11.5 |
16.3 |
|
Dribbles completed* |
1.2 (53%) |
1.0 (46%) |
|
Ball recoveries* |
3.5 |
4.5 |
|
Def. contributions* |
1.7 |
2.2 |
|
Duels won* |
3.0 (40%) |
4.3 (49%) |
He hesitated when coming together with Elliot Anderson in a 50/50. His adversary, who joined City for the same transfer fee this summer, was all too ready to jump into the challenge, and he was rewarded when winning the ball.
The German international also struggles to demonstrate the kind of hunger which characterises the elite of the elite. Think of Cole Palmer and Bruno Fernandes, playmakers who demand focal roles, their names in bold headlines at the top of match reports.
For Wirtz, time is running out. Soon he will be dropped. Later, without a bounceback, rumours of his sale will surface and gather pace. Liverpool will need to adapt, but they may already have the perfect long-term replacement waiting in the wings.
Liverpool already have their long-term Wirtz replacement
Gravenberch might have been sent off against Manchester City, but he produced a display reminiscent of his previous world-class form at Liverpool for the best part of an hour.
It’s clear that Liverpool need to revert to type. Refashioning the most industrious and deeper midfield system which led to a Premier League title under Slot’s management.
Perfectly aligning with that vision is young Luca Eden, who is only 15 years old, but has dazzled for Liverpool’s youth team this season, leading journalist Sam Millne to describe him as having a “remarkably similar technique to Steven Gerrard“.
Could he have what it takes to swipe Wirtz’s No. 7 shirt from him? It’s definitely true that Eden boasts the natural potential to grow into a top-level superstar. Perhaps he’s in for a Gerrard-esque journey.
It’s true, the gangly swagger and slightly unorthodox way in which Eden strikes the ball and lashes ranged passes to moving teammates evokes a sense of Stevie G in his Anfield heyday.
This said, Eden is his own player. He is a two-time England U16 international and has racked up 14 appearances for the U18s, scoring twice and placing three assists for his teammates. He is not the same as Wirtz, but already plays with a certain combativeness that will set him up for success in the Premier League. Combative is not an attributable superlative as far as Wirtz is concerned in a Liverpool shirt.
Don’t expect Iraola to be giving the teenager the nod any time soon, but we could only be a couple of years away from witnessing an almighty breakthrough. This summer, Eden trained with the U21s, massive recognition for his technical ability, age-belying physicality amf aggression, and his capacity to impress when others of his age range flake away.
The next year or two will make a significant comment on Eden’s future, on whether he will feature prominently in Liverpool’s senior set-up.
The stage is set for something special, though, and while Liverpool will persist with Wirtz for now, Eden might just be the future superstar that Iraola’s midfield find themselves craving.