Florian Wirtz: Assessing the £116m Liverpool Star’s Display in the 2-0 Victory Over West Ham
Champions Liverpool may have taken all three points in their 2-0 win over West Ham on Sunday, but they still showed signs of fragility. The first half at the London Stadium drifted by without much urgency from either side, yet Florian Wirtz tried to block out the noise and inject some life into the game as goals from Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo handed Arne Slot his first win in four matches.
The German star — twice named Bundesliga Player of the Year — has come under fire for failing to adjust to the pace and physicality of the Premier League after his £116 million summer switch from Bayer Leverkusen. With no assists in 12 league outings, he’s quickly found himself on early-season “worst signing” lists.
And Wirtz isn’t alone in struggling to settle under Slot. Fellow new arrivals Milos Kerkez and record signing Isak have also felt the pressure. But unlike the others, Wirtz has at least shown flashes of what he’s capable of. Many fans felt his display this weekend proved that the criticism is overblown, insisting his performances hint at a top-quality player waiting to fully emerge.
How Wirtz Looked Against West Ham
During half-time on Sky Sports, Jamie Carragher said Wirtz had just delivered his best 45 minutes in a Liverpool shirt — and the numbers backed him up. He completed 28 of his 29 passes in that first half and kept that level up after the break.
His standout moment came when he slipped the pass that allowed Gakpo to tee up Isak for the striker’s first league goal of the season. But that was only part of a strong outing: a 95% pass completion rate, one key pass, four big chances created, and a shot on target.
Wirtz’s energy and defensive effort were also on show again. After running more than anyone else in Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Real Madrid earlier in November, he repeated that industry from a wide role in place of Mohamed Salah — making three recoveries, winning three of five ground duels, and making a clearance.
Liverpool Fans Are All Saying the Same Thing
Given that performance, many Liverpool supporters argued the issue isn’t Wirtz’s creativity — it’s the players meant to finish off his work.
There’s only so much he can do: glide past defenders, find tight pockets to thread passes, and still put in the defensive shift. As one fan put it on X:
> “Surrounded by some hapless players, Wirtz has been brilliant. Such an intelligent footballer.”
Isak’s sharp finish showed promise, but he’ll need to produce consistently if Liverpool want to claw their way back into the Champions League race — and it doesn’t change the fact Wirtz has been let down by wastefulness around him.
Another supporter wrote:
> “Wirtz with players in form would be a completely different player. He’s been superb, everyone else looks like they’re in a charity match.”
A third added:
> “You can see exactly why Wirtz has zero assists — look at what he’s working with up front.”
And a fourth said:
> “That’s the closest we’ve come to seeing the real Florian Wirtz at Liverpool.”
All in all, fans are shifting some of the blame for Liverpool’s shaky title defence away from their new playmaker — and onto the teammates failing to make the most of what he’s creating.