Liverpool shift spotted as BBC pundit highlights Wirtz influence
Liverpool’s win over Wolves carried more meaning beneath the surface than the scoreline suggested, especially in how certain individuals are now shaping how we play.
A BBC Sport assessment after the game hinted that our attacking structure is beginning to tilt around Florian Wirtz.
Speaking as part of his Team of the Week, former Premier League striker Troy Deeney highlighted the German’s growing influence following his first Liverpool goal.
“He scored against Wolves – who will probably go down as the worst team in Premier League history,” Deeney said, via BBC Sport. “But he’s growing into it and starting to fill into the shirt.”
That phrasing matters given the weight attached to the No.7 since his £116m arrival from Bayer Leverkusen.
Why Wirtz is becoming central to how Liverpool attack
Deeney went further by suggesting that circumstances around him have forced a tactical evolution.
“Maybe the absences of Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak have made players start to play through him,” he added.
That observation aligns with what we saw at Anfield, with the 22-year-old repeatedly receiving between the lines and dictating tempo.
It echoed the assessment made when Wayne Rooney analysed how Wirtz drifted wide, dropped centrally and linked with Milos Kerkez and Hugo Ekitike during the same match, showing the intelligence Liverpool paid for.
Against Wolves, the former Bundesliga Player of the Year completed 48 passes in the final third and created three chances.
That influence helped unlock a stubborn low block, something Arne Slot has repeatedly highlighted as a challenge without elite pace and creativity.
Wirtz impact mirrors Gravenberch resurgence for Liverpool
Deeney’s analysis also placed Wirtz alongside Ryan Gravenberch, another player whose performance curve has quietly shifted.
“His influence is very simple: if he plays well, Liverpool play well,” Deeney said of our No.38.
That praise feels significant given how recently Gravenberch was questioned, with Steve Nicol previously arguing the Dutch midfielder had “completely disappeared again” defensively against Nottingham Forest.
Now, both players are being spoken about in the same breath as tone-setters and that signals something important.
This Liverpool side is no longer waiting for moments, but learning how to control games.
Wirtz is still adapting, still learning the league, and still carrying expectation.
But performances like this suggest the shirt is no longer wearing him – he is starting to wear it himself.
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