TA: Werz is somewhat similar to Liverpool in the German national team, and it is difficult to integrate into the system

Hupu October 2nd News TheAthleticUK reporters from both sides wrote a column of Werz.

To some extent, Wiltz was a sacrifice of his own transfer fee - the players who signed at the price of setting a record in Britain at the time, even though they were young (he was only 21 in May), who moved to another country and were adapting to new teams and leagues, and they all hoped that they would make a difference immediately.

Wilz himself said he was not worried about the transfer fee, and despite Liverpool's victory in the first five games of the season - although not always convincing - his slow start was not the focus of controversy, but in his last two losses, he has inevitably been questioned by the outside world.

Wilz assisted Hugo Ekitic in the Community Shield against Crystal Palace in August, but in the official match, he became the spokesperson for the "007" joke on social media - a joke that he did not score or assist in Liverpool's first seven games (now that number has risen to eight).

Wilz created 21 chances in all competitions this season, including the FA Cup finals at Wembley Stadium. Among Premier League players, only Everton's loan from Manchester City player Jack Gallish can match him. The problem is that although Wilz was active enough in the game, he didn't seem to be particularly efficient.

He created 17 opportunities in the Premier League and the Champions League, and the expected assists totaled only 1.4 times, so he did not create high-quality opportunities.

After further analysis, he created a total of 21 opportunities, with only 10 of them coming from six Premier League games. Seven of these were from sports games, which was the same total of opportunities he created in two Champions League matches.

This further highlights his efforts to adapt to the new league.

Wilz struggled to deal with his opponent's physical confrontation in England. He is often intercepted by his opponent when he is in possession, or he has to stop at a clearly dominant position before hitting the goal, resulting in the ball being blocked.

He is completely different from Sobosloy, whom he replaced. Although he can cover a lot of areas, he cannot oppress his opponents in confrontation like the Hungarian did.

Last season, Dias (No. 9) and Sobosloy (No. 10) were the main first-tier players in Liverpool's high-level pressing. The two forward players have changed today, with Dias transferring to Bayern Munich in the summer, with Wirtz and his new teammates Isaac and Ekitic still adapting to Liverpool's off-ball running style, which has affected the overall structure of the team and exacerbated their defensive problems.

Wilz's form is not the only reason why Liverpool is in poor form. Their offense lacks fluidity: Salah and Kodi Garkepo are far from their best form, and Isaac missed all preseasons before transferring from Newcastle and is still recovering.

Behind the German player, Gravenberg performed well, but the Dutch player's midfield partner McAllister did not perform well. The Argentine international is arguably the most important player in the Liverpool midfield because he is the team's rhythm controller, but since April, he has not played for the club for a full 90 minutes and has been in a state of unstable form. The German view is that -

Leverkusen is built with Werz as the core, and in general, every part of the team provides space, supplies or protection for Werz.

The talented players in Liverpool are far beyond Leverkusen's imagination, but they have not adapted to his playing style as he did.

This sounds a bit contradictory, because such a huge transfer fee should have bought a protagonist—a player who can change the game without tactical cohesion and rhythm—but now such a core no longer exists, at least not as it used to be. The same is true for

Wilz's performance in the German national team. Wiltz often performed well in the national team, but even so, he was far from his form as he was in the club coached by Xavi Alonso. In those games, he was often hesitant and lacked freedom, which was reflected in Liverpool's first few games.

For example, it's interesting that he often gets the ball and has to start from scratch. He is still struggling to find the space between the two lines, running as relentlessly as before, but his possession time tends to be more stationary and awkward, almost isolated, rather than the natural law of Liverpool’s game.

His new team doesn't rely on him as often as before to organize the offense. This will certainly happen. He is gifted and cannot fail, and Slot is a very good coach. But it is no surprise that since Liverpool has not yet fully and convincingly exploded in the 2025-26 season, Wilz has not yet shined.