Liverpool beat Burnley 1-0 thanks to a 96th-minute penalty from Mohamed Salah to deny a brilliant defensive performance from Scott Parker’s men.
This season, the Reds have struggled to reach their full potential with the new signings Arne Slot has made in need of time to fully gel with their new teammates.
Additionally, the tactical demands that Slot is placing on them will take time to adjust to.
Florian Wirtz is yet to make the impact he was expected to. Yet, his impact has been profound in a way that stats simply cannot convey.
Wirtz slammed for Burnley display but he was quietly excellent
Sofascore gave Florian Wirtz a 5.9/10 rating for his performance against the Clarets but without him, Liverpool would not have dominated possession the way they did.
The German played 87 minutes before being replaced by Rio Ngumoha after 87 touches and four key passes. His ability to receive the ball between the lines under massive pressure enabled Liverpool to pin Burnley in their own half for most of the game.
Liverpool had 81% ball possession but with Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike still adjusting to the Reds’ style of play, there was limited movement and fluidity at times.
Cody Gakpo, who was given a 7.3/10 rating, was arguably less effective.
While Wirtz did get 16 goals and 15 assists for Bayer Leverkusen last season, his impact at Liverpool will not be measured in goal contributions even if, as a £100m player, he is expected to find his way onto the scoresheet soon.
Last season, Liverpool lacked central incision in their attacks but with Wirtz, they now have the ability to break the lines and surge forward at any moment.
While the spotlight will remain on the young German, his importance to Liverpool is not accurately measured in goals and assists and that will be the case even if he matches his output from last season.
