The new De Bruyne? Wirtz is starting to justify hype at Liverpool

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Florian Wirtz took time to catch fire at Liverpool. Now he's cooking.

A run of six goals in 10 games has blown away concerns that the Germany international couldn't handle the hustle and bustle of the Premier League. It has also shone a light on the level of expectation on players in England's top flight and the demand for immediate success.

The spotlight was on Wirtz from the moment he completed a move from Bayer Leverkusen last summer for a fee that could rise to $156 million. One of the hottest prospects in Europe, Manchester City was reportedly another of his suitors.

But he chose Premier League champion Liverpool and was part of a spectacular $500 million spending spree by the Merseyside club as it reshaped its title-winning attack with the additions of Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike.

Liverpool was installed as the title favorite but things haven't gone to plan for coach Arne Slot.

Going into Sunday's game against City, Liverpool is eighth in the standings and 14 points behind leader Arsenal. The title defense unraveled long before Christmas during a run of six losses in seven games.

Wirtz was not the primary cause of that ruinous run but his lack of impact was noted as he failed to score in his first 21 appearances for his new club.

In October, Sky Sports pundit and Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher raised his own concerns.

"We talk about how long do you give foreign players (time to settle) when they come to the league," he said. "But if I'm being totally honest, in my experience of players who've come to the club when I was a player, if I think of the great foreign signings ... I'll think Sami Hyypia, Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, Luis Suarez, Didi Hamman ... coming in, they all hit the ground running. History doesn't tell me that foreign signings coming into England take a year."

While Carragher was adamant he wasn't writing off Wirtz three months into the season, his comments reflected the 22-year-old forward's difficult start at Anfield and how underwhelming his performances had been in a Liverpool team desperate for inspiration.

A mitigating factor was the amount of changes made to Liverpool's lineup with so many new players and the instability that caused. It's also not known what the impact was on Wirtz to leave his home country at such a young age and start a new life overseas — a factor often underestimated when it comes to international transfers.

Carragher, however, appears to have been vindicated in his assertion that foreign players shouldn't need a year to find their feet.

Wirtz's first Liverpool goal came at the end of December and he hasn't looked back. As well as his six goals, he's provided two assists in a period when he has dominated Liverpool's attack.

His growing influence was shown in the 4-1 win against Newcastle last week when he twisted his way into the box before creating a goal for Ekitike and scored himself with a clinical finish.

"He is getting better all the time," Carragher said this week, adding he saw parallels with City great Kevin De Bruyne. "The Premier League has lost Kevin De Bruyne. We've gained Florian Wirtz.

"Forget the teams they play for. We're talking about special players coming into our league."

The next test for Wirtz comes against City at Anfield on Sunday. His form has likely come too late to salvage Liverpool's title defense but it has provided a glimpse of what could come beyond this season.

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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

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