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Smicer: Build Liverpool around Wirtz!
29 Jun
Summary
- Vladimir Smicer urges Andoni Iraola to center Liverpool's strategy on Florian Wirtz.
- Wirtz, a £116m signing, struggled to adapt initially but showed flashes of quality.
- Smicer believes Wirtz's best position is behind the striker, needing freedom to perform.
Vladimir Smicer, a hero from Liverpool's 2005 Champions League triumph, has advised new manager Andoni Iraola to build his team around German international Florian Wirtz. Wirtz joined Liverpool last year for a package potentially reaching £116m from Bayer Leverkusen.
Despite scoring seven goals and providing eight assists across all competitions, Wirtz found adapting to the Premier League's intensity challenging during his debut season under Arne Slot. Smicer suggests that a player of Wirtz's caliber and price tag requires a specific role to thrive.
"If you buy a player for 130 million euros, you need to put him in his favourite position and build the team around him," Smicer stated. He believes Wirtz's optimal position is behind the striker, where he can be given the freedom to express himself and perform at his best.
Smicer warned that playing Wirtz out of position, such as on the wing, would be a waste of the significant investment. He stressed the importance of finding Wirtz's ideal role to maximize his impact for both Liverpool and the German national team.
