Have we seen a glimpse of the real Liverpool? This week’s Champions League victory over Real Madrid certainly felt like a throwback to last season.
Arne slot is back to type. The midfield consists of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenbirch, and the connection and consistency of this trio proved crucial to last year’s Premier League victory.
Things have changed in the red half of Merseyside this season. Significant changes over the summer restructured the framework, with a by-product being a tactical imbalance and a lack of the fluency and sharpness that propelled the Reds to victory last year.
One of the problems existed long before this early season slump. Six losses in seven games in all competitions before their recent improvement is inexcusable, and while each corner of the system is to blame, there is definitely something missing on the left flank, with Luis Diaz currently playing elsewhere.
Liverpool miss the Colombian, but not as much as his predecessor Sadio Mane.
Why Liverpool are still without Sadio Mane
It’s not so much that Liverpool are losing Mane directly, but his profile. Last season, Díaz scored 17 goals and scored eight while bouncing between the left wing and center batting positions. The Colombian, like Mane before him, was sold to Bayern Munich in August and is now sorely missed.
Dias did a strong job replacing Mane, but the Senegalese sensation will go down in history as one of the most dangerous wingers to ever grace the Premier League. In 2018, former national team manager Ario Cissé also described him as one of the best wingers in the world.
Devastatingly dynamic and with an endless appetite for goals, Mane has developed over the years under Klopp, joining from Southampton for £34m in 2016 and forming one of Europe’s most iconic attacking units alongside Bobby Firmino and Mohamed Salah.
Neither player is currently in Liverpool’s squad. Codi Gakpo has played most regularly on the left wing for Liverpool this year, and while the Dutchman is a talented and versatile player, he is not at the same level as Mane in his prime, nor does he have the same electric movement as Dias.
But Slott may have actually found his match in another of Liverpool’s stars, a player who is showing signs of real quality in his red shirt.
Liverpool’s new version of Sadio Mane
Liverpool went through a series of changes in the summer transfer window, with the Alexander Isak saga dominating the final weeks of the window, but mostly due to Liverpool’s record-breaking £116m signing of Florian Wirtz.
Hailed as a ‘statistical unicorn’ and ‘final third freak’ by analyst Sam Maguire before first donning the famous Liverpool shirt, Werts has yet to prove that to be true on English soil, but he is making progress in adapting to his new land and we are starting to see the first buds of success in recent matches.
Real Madrid put in the best performance of their Anfield career so far and what a great match to showcase themselves. The Liverpool Echo gave him a match rating of 8/10, praising Wirtz’s tireless work ethic and creativity. In the first half, the Germans created five chances for the hosts, as many as the entire Whites team.
However, Mane has impressed since his start at Liverpool, scoring 13 goals and providing seven assists in 29 games in 2016/17, while Wirtz is still in form after 15 games.
But the underlying qualities of this man are indisputable. He is a world class talent. And according to FBref, he ranks in the top 5% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League for progressive passing and shot creation actions, and in the top 11% for chances created per 90.
The action that creates the shot is part of the play that leads to the shot. This includes the moment a pass, take-on, or foul is drawn.
Understandably, many think the 22-year-old should have had more to offer so far. In a sense, they’re right. But Liverpool have been a strange case this season, with frosty tactical conditions making it difficult for such players to fit right in and fire on all cylinders from the start.
Florian Wirtz – Career statistics by position | ||
|---|---|---|
position | app | Goal (assist) |
attacking midfield | 174 | 51(58) |
right wing | 12 | 4 (5) |
center forward | 11 | 4 (4) |
left wing | 11 | 2(3) |
central midfield | 5 | 0 (3) |
Dates via Transfermarkt | ||
He may not be the same kind of clinical and direct player as Mane, but Wirtz proved on the left wing against Real Madrid that he can play a leading role in a Liverpool team that is aiming for every prize.
With Szoboszlai in surprisingly good form and Liverpool looking overall more refined and effective with last season’s blueprint implemented in the engine room, there is a case to be made that Wirtz could fill Mane’s old role on a regular basis.
He certainly has the stamina and wide arsenal to carry out his duties in that field with confidence and clarity. After all, he is one of the most talented soccer players in the world.
Now we must wait for the £195,000-a-week talent to find the consistency in his performances that will allow his quality to be recognized nationally, much like Mane once was. Of course, this will take time, but now that the issues are resolved, the Reds are starting to look like a solid unit again, and Wirtz could go from strength to strength.
Soccer fans sometimes need patience. Wirtz will come well. In fact, he could be on a par with Mane, the superstar winger who achieved so much in red at Anfield.
