Rudi Völler has attributed Florian Wirtz’s tentative opening at Liverpool to how the playmaker is being used, rather than any loss of quality. Liverpool have lost three on the bounce in all competitions and Wirtz is yet to record a single goal contribution in a competitive fixture for his new club. He was named on the bench for their 2–1 defeat at Chelsea on Saturday afternoon.

Wirtz will now join the German national team for October World Cup qualifiers, likely adding to his 33 caps. “We’re very happy that he [Wirtz] is with us for 10 days now. I am convinced he will deliver two wonderful international matches,” Völler said of Liverpool’s struggling playmaker on Sky90.

Völler knows Wirtz from their time at Bayer Leverkusen: he served as Leverkusen’s sporting director between 2005 and 2022 and later managed the national team on an interim basis. He played 90 times for his country, won the World Cup, and spent much of his playing career away from his homeland. That experience informs his view on adaptation and tactical fit.

“The big difference is: at Bayer Leverkusen, despite the individual quality of the other players, he was always looked for,” Völler said. “Players like Granit Xhaka, Alejandro Grimaldo or Robert Andrich certainly ran the game. But the moment Florian made himself available, he always got the ball. Even as a young guy, he was already the chief.”

There is statistical evidence supporting Völler’s assessment. Wirtz’s touch count per 90 minutes has dropped to 59.1 in the Premier League from 80.3 in the Bundesliga last season and 85.3 in 2023–24. The playmaker recorded 22 league goal contributions during his final two campaigns in Germany.

“I deliberately watched some Liverpool games with him: he does an incredible amount of work, runs a lot, makes many sprints, and also goes deep, Völler continued. “But he isn’t played to in the way he was used to at Leverkusen or with the national team. That’s something that has to be developed over weeks and months.”

Völler is backing the “extraordinary” Wirtz to eventually find his groove at Anfield.

When Manchester United dismissed David Moyes ten months into his tenure, it felt at the time like a nadir in the club’s post-Ferguson history. Moyes’s reputation then needed years to rebuild. The Scot has since worked wonders at West Ham United and is once again in tune with the Toffees on Merseyside. United, meanwhile, have continued to hit new lows.

Ruben Amorim reached his 34th Premier League match at the weekend, the same number Moyes managed before his sacking and replacement by Louis van Gaal. The statistical comparison is stark.

David Moyes (34 games): 17 wins, 6 draws, 11 losses, goals 56:40, 1.68 points per match, 50% win rate.

Ruben Amorim (34 games): 10 wins, 7 draws, 7 losses, goals 41:53, 1.09 points per match, 29.4% win rate.

Amorim has recorded his tenth league victory since succeeding Erik ten Hag last November. United have drawn seven and lost seven under him and carry a negative goals record. The Portuguese averages 1.09 points per game and currently has the lowest win percentage of any Manchester United manager in Premier League history at 29.4 percent. Ralf Rangnick’s 41.7 percent is the next lowest.

For context, Graham Potter was the first Premier League manager sacked in 2025–26 after winning just 26 percent of his league games.

Moyes’s 50 percent win rate ranks joint-third-worst among United managers after Sir Alex Ferguson, though he inherited a title-winning side that needed refreshing. Amorim inherited a squad built for a previous manager and one described in the draft as laden with expensive mistakes. His preference for a 3-4-2-1 has been cited as a factor in poor results and a lack of control on and off the ball.

There have been encouraging signs. Saturday’s 2–0 win over Sunderland featured tactical tweaks, including an alternate out-of-possession shape, and produced one of the manager’s better performances.

Moyes suffered more home defeats than Amorim across their respective 34-game samples but conceded 13 fewer goals and finished with a +16 goal difference. Moyes was seventh when dismissed after a 2–0 defeat at Goodison Park. Amorim guided United to 15th last season, their worst finish since 1973–74, and they sit 12th through seven games of the current campaign.

Arne Slot’s side have yet to unlock the return on a high-profile signing. Jamie Carragher labelled his former team a “mess”, and he singled out £116 million addition Florian Wirtz, suggesting the German international has to “come out of the team” for Liverpool to recover the form that delivered last season.

Wirtz arrived amid the Alexander Isak saga and, for a brief spell, was the club’s record signing. Expectations were high, but through eight Premier League and Champions League appearances he has not recorded a single goal or assist for the club. His combined expected goals (1.3) and expected assists (1.4) underline a lack of end-product so far.

A closer look at involvement explains part of the problem. At Bayer Leverkusen Wirtz averaged 11.7 progressive passes received per 90 in his best seasons. At Liverpool that figure is down to 6.73. His touches per 90 have dropped from 77.8 last term to 56.3 this season, leaving fewer opportunities to build rhythm and influence play. In the Premier League alone he has six appearances, 437 minutes, zero goals and zero assists; in the Champions League he has two appearances and 163 minutes with the same return.

Slot and Wirtz have acknowledged a physical adjustment is required, with Wirtz saying that “the effort he’s showing out of possession is compromising his ability with the ball.” That extra running and the role Slot asks of him are likely factors in his reduced on-ball output. Liverpool also lack a consistent pipeline of line-splitting passes; Curtis Jones has shown that ability but has been used sparingly.

There are positives. Wirtz linked early with Hugo Ekitiké, setting up his Community Shield goal, and combined well with Alexander Isak in the 3–2 win over Atlético Madrid. He produced strong spells against Arsenal, particularly from the left half-space.

Slot must find a balance: give Wirtz clearer positioning, provide passers behind him, and consider team shape that restores his progression lines. Short-term changes, perhaps rotating Szoboszlai into the No. 10, may help, but the manager must settle on a structure that allows Wirtz to receive the ball in the positions that made him effective.