A message from an old friend

Florian Wirtz returned from the international break having given Liverpool supporters something to feel good about, even if it came in a Germany shirt rather than a red one. After a difficult summer in which he was among those blamed for Germany's poor World Cup, Wirtz had a rollercoaster fortnight under new national team manager Jurgen Klopp. He came on as a substitute in a shock 1-0 defeat to Greece, then delivered a goal and an assist in a 2-0 win over Serbia, before captaining his country from the start in a goalless draw in Greece. Mixed results, but a personal statement when it mattered most.

What made the Serbia performance particularly interesting, from a Liverpool perspective, was what Klopp said afterwards about where Wirtz does his best work. "We have to look at where he is most valuable for us, and that is definitely in the half-spaces," Klopp said. "There's no question about that. He can also play out wide, but as soon as we have the ball, he should move back into the half-spaces. That's definitely where he feels most comfortable. For Flo, the left half-space would be the perfect position. For his goal, he moved into the centre, and that's exactly where he needs to be as well." That is a free blueprint on how to unlock a £116m player, handed over by someone who managed him on the international stage. Andoni Iraola would be daft not to take notes.

The problem behind the problem

The trouble is, getting the best out of Wirtz depends in large part on what is happening behind him, and that is where Liverpool have been leaking. Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai have both struggled for form, and when they are paired together in the centre of the pitch the Reds have looked soft and easy to play through. That was most painfully obvious on the opening day of the season, when Gravenberch gave the ball away twice in advanced positions and Newcastle United punished Liverpool on the counter both times. A midfield that invites that sort of pressure is not one that gives a creative player like Wirtz the platform he needs to thrive.

Alexis Mac Allister's return to form has seen him push Gravenberch out of the number six role, and there are growing calls for Trey Nyoni to be handed his chance from the start. Iraola has options, but he has not yet found the combination that gives Wirtz the freedom to operate in those half-spaces Klopp described. That is the real puzzle here. The 23-year-old has contributed just one assist and no goals in his first six appearances for the club this season. Some of that is on him, but some of it is on the structure around him.

The pressure keeps building

With Liverpool hosting Premier League leaders Manchester City on Sunday, the stakes could hardly be higher. The situation is further complicated by injury concerns surrounding both Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo, who both withdrew from their respective international squads. If they are ruled out, the question of where Wirtz plays becomes even more pressing. Reds legend John Aldridge floated the idea in his weekly column. "Who else have we got? He could play Florian Wirtz up there," Aldridge said. "We've played without a striker against Man City once before and it worked well. He's a really good player. And we need him now. We need him really to push us to the heights where we need to be, to fight against Arsenal and whoever else ends up up there."

Using Wirtz as a makeshift centre-forward against City would be far from ideal, and everyone knows it. But the wider point Aldridge is making cuts through regardless. Liverpool need their most expensive player to show up in their biggest matches, and the pressure is not going away. His Germany team-mate Aleksandar Pavlovic spoke warmly about how much he and Tom Bischof enjoyed giving Wirtz the freedom to roam, the pair happy to do the defensive heavy lifting so the Liverpool man could do his thing. That kind of selfless support structure is exactly what Iraola needs to build around him at club level. Get that right, and the Wirtz the Reds paid for might finally show himself.