The Florian Wirtz mystery: why has he not found Leverkusen form at Liverpool?

The past week encapsulated Florian Wirtz's Liverpool career so far. In the Champions League rout of Lask, he exploited gaps in the Austrian club's defense, delivering a dominant display. Against Manchester City, however, when Liverpool needed big players to step up in the absence of Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai, Wirtz was ineffective and wasteful.

The £116m midfielder has struggled to reproduce the form that made him arguably the best player in the Bundesliga during his final two seasons at Bayer Leverkusen. While he has shown flashes of his talent in Europe, his Premier League performances have fallen short of expectations.

Physical challenges

The physicality and intensity of the Premier League appear to be Wirtz's biggest issues. He can be swamped and knocked aside, leaving Liverpool's central midfield exposed. Head coach Andoni Iraola rejected the notion that the playmaker is struggling with English football, saying: It's not about whether they are foreign teams or English teams. It's about different kinds of games.

Wirtz produced three assists in 11 Champions League games last season, the same amount as he did in 33 Premier League matches. His passing accuracy this season is 80% in the Premier League and 91.5% in the Champions League, highlighting the difference in his performance levels between competitions.

Tactical adjustments

Wirtz was sold on Arne Slot's vision for him as the central creative force of Liverpool's attack, but that never materialized before Slot was sacked. Iraola immediately confirmed Wirtz would be his No. 10 and worked on building a rapport with Isak. Wirtz can argue that forces beyond his control have conspired against him at Liverpool.

The addition of an out-and-out defensive midfielder like Monaco's Lamine Camara could help Wirtz by giving him license to roam and greater protection to the Liverpool defense. His relationship with Bradley Barcola and Isak also needs to improve for his end product to improve.

Leverkusen success

At Bayer Leverkusen, Wirtz was unbelievably good, dominating big matches and acting as the conductor of the team. Xabi Alonso gave him special freedom, saying: "every player had responsibility to patrol an allotted zone but Flo is different" – he was given license to prod opposing defences as he saw fit.

Wirtz himself predicted the Bundesliga might be weaker than the Premier League, acknowledging he was taking a tougher option by joining Liverpool instead of Bayern Munich. He knew it was a risk but was determined to challenge himself.

International form

Wirtz has shone for Germany recently, being given greater freedom similar to his Leverkusen role. Jürgen Klopp has been crucial, cheerleading for him publicly and even giving him the captaincy for Germany's last game. Klopp's belief in Wirtz appears to boost the player's confidence and performance.

With one assist and no goals in six Premier League appearances this season, Wirtz needs to produce consistent performances against tough opponents like Brentford to avoid being categorized as a luxury player. While he has the class and character to succeed at Anfield, the conditions around him need to change for him to fulfill his potential.