Florian Wirtz a ‘f***ing monster’? £100m Liverpool signing could actually be the next Luka Modric

Jason Soutar
Florian Wirtz with Dimitar Berbatov in a circle and the Liverpool badge in a smaller circle
Dimitar Berbatov has shared some nice words about Liverpool midfielder Florian Wirtz

Luka Modric is built like Liverpool lightweight Florian Wirtz and he was a “f***ing monster”. Does the German have what it takes to shine in the Premier League?

That’s the view of former Bayer Leverkusen, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov, who played with Modric at Spurs.

Florian Wirtz’s Premier League misery: Key statistics

  • 0 goal involvements in nine appearances (six starts)
  • More yellow cards (1) than goals and assists combined (0)
  • 1.1 expected assisted goals
  • 15 key passes – 11th in the Premier League
  • Only 15 take-ons attempted (59th), seven completed (47th)

Having cost an initial £100million from Bayer Leverkusen, it goes without saying that Wirtz’s performances in a Liverpool shirt have fallen well below expectations.

Zero goal involvements in nine Premier League matches have contributed to a miserable start to his Liverpool career, though the Reds’ performances in recent weeks have almost helped Wirtz slip out of the spotlight, with teammates such as Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Alexis Mac Allister, Alexander Isak and Milos Kerkez attracting criticism.

It’s now four Premier League defeats on the bounce for Arne Slot’s side, who are seventh in the table, and while Wirtz’s performances are beginning to go under the radar a little, his signing – and how it has changed Liverpool tactically – continues to be a significant talking point.

The Premier League champions are much more open at the back, with Kerkez, Konate and Van Dijk all out of form, and the midfielders in front of them not providing enough defensive cover – something that stems from Wirtz’s addition to the team.

The 22-year-old works hard off the ball, but he’s definitely more of a luxury player than other Liverpool attacking midfielders, such as Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones.

Florian Wirtz: The next Luka Modric?

There’s no doubting Wirtz’s technical ability, and Berbatov is confident it will outweigh his lack of physicality, citing Luka Modric as an example of a seemingly lightweight player who performs like a “f***ing monster” on the pitch.

Any negativity around Modric’s build has always related to pace and strength, but he’s clearly in top physical shape; he’s 40 and still playing for AC bloody Milan.

“By the way, I love him. He’s a fantastic player. He will be unbelievable, trust me,” he said on Rio Ferdinand’s YouTube channel.

“Hopefully, he will be patient,” Berbatov continued.

“Hopefully, he’ll have good people around him, agent, family, whatever. Hopefully, the coach sees his quality like everybody sees him. I’m sure that everybody sees his quality, and they’ll give him that time that he needs to fit into the team. And I guarantee you, he’s going to be a success.

“The way he sees football, how he looks for the space, how he knows how to position himself, the touches on the ball, the improvisation, the eye for the pass and for the goals. Of course, someone can argue that his physique is not that great for the Premier League.

“But then you can easily see the great players of his position, like Modric, also the same build. Modric. F***ing monster. It’s unbelievable. So give him time. I think he’s going to be unbelievable for Liverpool.”

The jury will be out on Wirtz for a while, but Berbatov’s faith offers encouragement to Liverpool fans after a difficult start.

Modric’s transition from Dinamo Zagreb to Spurs was very different from Wirtz’s summer move. The Croatian joined a smaller club for £15m in his first taste of a top-five league.

Although he was 26 when he joined Real Madrid, that move feels more relevant — especially after he was labelled the worst La Liga signing of the 2012/13 season. He made Madrid fans eat their words and went on to become a club legend and Ballon d’Or winner in 2018.

If Berbatov’s words are anything to go by, the sky’s the limit for Wirtz, who could yet recover from a rough start to become one of the best players in the world.

Why is Florian Wirtz struggling for Liverpool?

There are some things statistics can’t explain, like being a 22-year-old moving to a new country for an astronomical transfer fee, or joining a side going through major transition after a flurry of big-money arrivals.

Liverpool started the campaign with five wins from five, so attributing their struggles to Wirtz’s poor form doesn’t make sense, but the team’s dip has prolonged his difficult settling-in period.

One key statistic that highlights the issue is progressive passes received. Wirtz averaged 11.7 per 90 in the Bundesliga last season but just 6.73 for Liverpool, showing he’s not getting the ball in dangerous spaces between the lines.

His touches per 90 have also dropped from 77.8 to 56.3 — proof he’s less involved despite Slot sacrificing defensive solidity to accommodate him.

And when he does have the ball, he’s largely been ineffective, registering just 1.1 expected assists in the Premier League so far.

Berbatov’s advice to Wirtz is a breath of fresh air

Berbatov also drew on his own experience, having left Leverkusen for the Premier League ahead of his prime. And he was hardly a player known for raw athleticism.

“In my case, I was again having doubts,” he said. “The same process was happening when I went to Leverkusen. The same thing. Because in Leverkusen, in the beginning, it didn’t work out quite well. I needed to be patient.”

“But again, doubts. Now in Spurs, again, new environment, again, new people, new language, new everything. Again, the things were taking slowly to happen for me.

“And again, I was thinking, maybe I need to go back. You know, that negative thinking… Maybe I need to go back, or Leverkusen, or somewhere else. It’s not working here. But that negative thinking that people have most of the time, which is horrendous. It’s not a good way of doing.

“But then, at the same time, when I was thinking like this, then my other, not personality, but my other me, was telling me, ‘no, no, no, no. You see what happened in Leverkusen’.

“Just be patient. Keep working. You have the quality. You deserve to be here. You wanted something to change. Now you’re here. Now be stubborn. Be patient. Keep working. Not sitting. It’s not going to fall like this on your lap. Work. Smart or hard. Try to know when, which when, and work. And it will happen.

“So I was motivating myself. At the same time, I tried to sabotage myself. And you basically want to go to your safe place, your safe environment. But you need to have that motivation and that ambition in you as well to overcome the fear. So my ambition was bigger than my fear.”

It’s refreshing to hear some positive, insightful punditry from a former Manchester United player — none of this “Ballon d’Or, Ballon d’Or, Ballon d’Or” nonsense.

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Liverpool Dimitar Berbatov

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