LIVERPOOL. Vladimir Smicer has urged Andoni Iraola to make Florian Wirtz the centrepiece of his Liverpool rebuild, warning that the Germany international’s £116 million potential will remain untapped unless he is deployed in his preferred role behind the striker .
The 2005 Champions League winner, who made 184 appearances for the Reds during his time at Anfield, believes the club’s recruitment strategy must evolve to accommodate the talents of their record signing after a difficult debut season under the sacked Arne Slot . Wirtz arrived from Bayer Leverkusen 12 months ago in a package worth up to £116 million but managed only seven goals and eight assists across all competitions as he struggled to adapt to the demands of English football .
Smicer, speaking to Casinostugan, offered a pointed assessment of Liverpool’s tactical approach last season, arguing that Wirtz was deployed too widely and without the positional clarity that had enabled his brilliance at Leverkusen .
“I think the price tag and the transfer money from Leverkusen to Liverpool was big, and the pressure was on Wirtz with statistics about how much his goals and assists cost,” Smicer said. “But a player like him will be under pressure all the time. You have to perform for Liverpool, and now for Germany. They will expect a lot from him.”
The former Czech Republic international, who scored in Liverpool’s famous 2005 Champions League final comeback against AC Milan, was unequivocal about where Wirtz should operate. At Leverkusen, the team was constructed around his strengths, with freedom to roam behind a striker and supply from wide areas. At Liverpool, however, he was shifted across the front line with diminishing returns .
“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. “If you buy Wirtz and play him as a left winger, you throw that money away. You need to play him in his best position and then change other players.”
Wirtz’s struggles were symptomatic of Liverpool’s broader difficulties under Slot. The Dutchman was sacked at the end of May after a campaign that saw the club fall short of Champions League qualification, with Iraola appointed as his successor following an impressive spell at Bournemouth . The Spaniard has inherited a squad in transition, with the departures of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, and faces the immediate challenge of restoring the club to Europe’s elite .
Smicer, however, was optimistic about the 21 year old’s potential if given the right platform. “He will still perform, but he’s not going to be at his best. So I hope for him and for Germany that they play him in his best position so he can perform,” he said. “I think he was enjoying playing for Liverpool, but of course when he was a left winger he was just trying to do the job. You don’t feel the same confidence or feeling when playing in a different position.”
The challenge for Iraola, who has spent €60 million on Valencia’s Javi Guerra since his appointment, is to construct a system that maximises Wirtz’s creative output . Smicer’s verdict was unequivocal: “I just hope Andoni Iraola will find his position. I think his best position is behind the striker. Give him the freedom and it should work. If not, it’s going to be tough.”
Germany’s hopes at the World Cup rest on Wirtz’s form, with the attacking midfielder expected to play a central role in Julian Nagelsmann’s side as they prepare to face Uruguay in the semi final . For Liverpool, the challenge is no less significant: extracting value from a player whose fee and reputation demand far more than the sporadic brilliance he delivered last season .
