Florian Wirtz’s start at Liverpool causes Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer to say the exact same thing

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Liverpool’s record signing Florian Wirtz is now three games into life at Anfield, where he’s expected to be a big hit.

Under Xabi Alonso in the Bundesliga last season, Florian Wirtz was extremely influential for Bayer Leverkusen, and he’s been consistently showcasing his talent for years.

Of course, the 22-year-old now has 31 caps for Germany, and he’s held alongside other world-class talents like Jamal Musiala.

In fact, Jamie Carragher thinks Wirtz can be Liverpool’s own Kevin De Bruyne – he’s convinced that the playmaker can eventually take the Premier League by storm.

But after 246 minutes in a Liverpool shirt, the German is yet to reach those dizzy heights, even if elements of his performances have shown a lot of promise.

Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer analyse Florian Wirtz’s slow Liverpool start

That being said, Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards have all now discussed Wirtz’s start at Liverpool on ‘The Rest is Football’ podcast.

Lineker asked whether Liverpool accommodating a number 10 has caused them a few issues structurally – he concluded that Arne Slot’s side look a little unbalanced right now.

And ultimately Shearer and Richards both agreed, claiming that Liverpool’s ‘rhythm’ was nowhere near what it previously was.

Lineker began: “Do you think the presence of Florian Wirtz, and the slightly different style that he gives, that he plays because he’s more of a 10, isn’t he?

“He likes to play in that role, has caused Liverpool a few early issues? I mean, they’ve got six points, so it’s not massive issues at present. But it’s made them look slightly unbalanced to where they were last season.”

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Shearer then replied: “Definitely, yeah. I saw them obviously against Bournemouth on TV, and you know, it’s like when you’re watching a game on television rather than watching one live. 

“So to see them live last night without doubt, yeah, their rhythm is nowhere near what it was when they were playing really well last season. They’re finding it difficult to get him into the game, they’re certainly more open.”

Richards added: “Yeah, I would agree with that, I think Wirtz will come good. I think he’s just used to playing a different style of football.

“I think it is a bit physical in this league and they’re still figuring out how they want to play, you know.”

Dominik Szoboszlai is too good to be playing as a right-back

In terms of the repercussions of Wirtz’s move, Dominik Szoboszlai has also had to make a significant adjustment.

The Hungary international is no longer able to play as a somewhat advanced attacking midfielder.

In fact, Szoboszlai impressed as a right-back against Newcastle United whilst filling in for the injured Jeremie Frimpong, given that Conor Bradley wasn’t ready to start.

But thinking long-term, Szoboszlai deserves to be so much more than a player just plugging the gaps, even if he might be handed a deeper-lying role in midfield on a regular basis.

Clearly it’s a situation that Slot will need to monitor and adjust – Wirtz is an excellent addition for Liverpool and he’ll undoubtedly star for the Reds soon.

But given Liverpool are preparing a new Alexander Isak bid as well right now, Slot will soon have several selection headaches across his squad, albeit positive ones.