Florian Wirtz must set a 'bare minimum' target of 10 goals and 10 assists in his second season with Liverpool, according to former Reds midfielder Danny Murphy. The 23-year-old Germany international moved from Bayer Leverkusen last summer for a fee of £116m but managed only seven goals and eight assists in his debut campaign at Anfield.
Wirtz's mixed debut season at Liverpool
Wirtz struggled to make an immediate impact under then-manager Arne Slot, scoring his first Liverpool goal on December 27 in a 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. Although he showed flashes of his talent, his overall contribution fell short of expectations. The midfielder also faced criticism for Germany's early exit from the World Cup, where they lost to Paraguay on penalties in the last-32, with Wirtz providing two assists in the tournament.
Murphy: 'Confidence plays a factor'
Speaking to Goal.com via BetWright, Murphy emphasised the importance of goal contributions for Wirtz's confidence. 'Absolutely. Confidence plays a factor. Of course, he walked into a team that was in transition. We got some new players and players had gone. When they started struggling, it was harder for him to impact the games,' Murphy said.
He added: 'Adjusting to a new league and lifestyle is difficult, even for really good technical players. But ultimately, he did have a decent spell in the middle of the season to be fair to him and showed glimpses of what he's about, but it wasn't enough. The step up has to come now. Not just because of the size of the fee, because Liverpool need their best players to be on their best game.'
Physical and mental improvement expected
Under new manager Andoni Iraola, who replaced Slot after his sacking, Murphy expects Wirtz to improve physically and mentally. 'I think physically he's going to be better. I'd be amazed if he wasn't physically better when he comes back, which is obviously helpful. He'll be more settled with his environment, where he lives, surroundings, team-mates, all those things. But he's going to have to step up in a massive season for him,' Murphy said.
Murphy concluded: 'I do feel there's more to come. But unfortunately, the price tag itself doesn't guarantee success. So I think he'll be better. I hope he'll be better. I think he will. And I think that if he can start looking at, obviously if you're getting double figures, goals and assists, then you're really impacting the team. That should be the bare minimum.'
