All the right moves as Reds go with the FLO

WIRTZ'S SHIFTING FORTUNES PUT HIM A BETTER POSITION TO INFLUENCE SEASON

- By PAUL GORST Liverpool FC Correspondent

AS Arne Slot scrambled to plug the leaks in a Liverpool team that had lost nine of their last 12 at the end of November, Florian Wirtz was removed from his central area and deployed as a wide forward.

The plan for Slot was twofold. Taking Wirtz out of the centre of the pitch allowed him to name a more muscular engine room who would afford an overworked and embattled backline more protection than it had been receiving for some time.

It would also keep Wirtz in the side, allowing him to use all his attacking gifts in the final third without compromising the coverage in the middle of the park and the Germany international turned in his best Liverpool performance at the time as West Ham United were put to the sword 2-0 at the London Stadium.

Over a month on, the game is perhaps best remembered for Alexander Isak’s first Liverpool goal in the Premier League but those in the capital that day will recall that Wirtz was the best performer.

Encouraged to drift from that wide left role throughout, the security of having more midfielders behind him meant he could simply focus on creating.

“After a very positive performance from Florian, I can acknowledge that but I also want to emphasise the team performance was much better,” was Slot’s understated praise at the time.

“We tried to create an extra midfielder and he was very important for us to find every time that extra midfielder.