Phil Thompson Highlights The Unseen Side Of Wirtz’s Atletico Performance
Florian Wirtz did not score against Atletico Madrid. He did not set one up either. And yet plenty inside Anfield left the ground more convinced by him than after some of his flashier outings this season. That tells you something about how Liverpool’s £116m signing is starting to be judged, and it is not solely through the usual lens of goals and assists.
Judging Wirtz On More Than The Scoresheet
It is easy, and often lazy, to measure an attacking player purely by end product. Wirtz arrived with a nine figure price tag attached, and that inevitably invites a spreadsheet mentality where every touch gets weighed against the fee. Football rarely cooperates with that kind of accounting. Against Atletico, what stood out was not a moment of magic but intensity, discipline and a willingness to do the unglamorous side of the job, exactly the traits Andoni Iraola prizes in his side.
Thompson’s Praise Was Pointed And Specific
Speaking on the Official Liverpool FC Podcast, Phil Thompson singled out Wirtz’s work rate as the story of the night, noting that his pressing in the closing quarter of the match arrived exactly when Liverpool needed it. Thompson pointed out that supporters usually look to Dominik Szoboszlai for that kind of relentless running, and that Wirtz showed a different side of himself by matching it. It was, in Thompson’s words, a performance where “people need to see what he did for the team.”
A Fuller Picture Of What Wirtz Offers
This matters because the perception of Wirtz has, until now, leaned heavily on his technique, his vision and his eye for a defence splitting pass. What Liverpool appear to be getting alongside that is a player who presses with real purpose, covers ground consistently and reads the moments in a match where extra effort is needed. Those qualities tend to matter most exactly when games are stretched late on, which is precisely the scenario that unfolded against Atletico. It may not have been his most eye catching display in a Liverpool shirt, but it was arguably his most complete.
Our View
Supporters want fireworks from a player who cost this much, and that is a fair instinct. But there is another way for a big money signing to earn trust, and that is by working his way into the team’s identity rather than standing apart from it. What stands out from Thompson’s comments is that Wirtz is clearly buying into what Iraola is building, pressing on cue, contributing late in matches and showing the engine to keep going when legs start to tire elsewhere. None of that shows up in a highlights reel, but it shows up in results.
It also counts for something when people close to the club start noticing the details rather than just the headline moments. Plenty of players get praised for the obvious. Wirtz is now being praised for the things that actually win difficult matches, and that is a much better indicator of where his Liverpool career is heading. Supporters should stay patient, but they have every reason to feel encouraged. Once the goals and assists start arriving on top of performances like this one, Liverpool may find they have signed a genuinely complete footballer.