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Jun 29, 2026 11:33 AM
Updated Jun 29, 2026 11:35 AM
Former Liverpool midfielder Vladimír Šmicer believes Florian Wirtz’s success at Anfield will depend on the club finding his best position and building the team around him.
Florian Wirtz arrived at Liverpool last summer as one of the most exciting young players in world football, but former Reds midfielder Vladimír Šmicer believes the biggest challenge now is ensuring the German international is used correctly.
Wirtz joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen in 2025 in a major deal, bringing huge expectations with him.
His first season had glimpses of world class quality, but just not regularly.
And according to Šmicer, speaking to Casinostugan, the size of the transfer has naturally increased the pressure on the 23-year-old.
“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.”
However, Šmicer insists that pressure is part of playing for a club like Liverpool.
“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.”
Finding Wirtz’s role
The main concern raised by Šmicer was not Wirtz’s ability, but Liverpool’s ability to maximise it.
At Leverkusen, Wirtz was the centre of the team’s attacking structure, as the German played with freedom, operating behind the striker and influencing games through creativity, movement and decision-making.
Šmicer believes Liverpool must recreate that environment, something that wasn’t paramount in his first season at the club.
“At Leverkusen, the team was built for him and he was a free player with wingers on the side and a striker.
“In Liverpool, we were trying to find his best position all season. He was playing right, left, as a striker, and behind the striker.”
The danger of playing him out of position
Wirtz’s versatility is one of his strengths, but Šmicer believes it could also become a problem if Liverpool rely on it too much.
“If you buy a player for 130 million euros, you need to put him in his favourite position and build the team around him.
“If you buy Wirtz and play him as a left-winger, you throw that money away.”
The comments highlight an important tactical question for Liverpool under Andoni Iraola.
The new head coach must decide whether Wirtz is best used as a traditional attacking midfielder, a number 10 or in a wider role, and for Šmicer, the answer is clear.
“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.”
Author’s View: Wirtz could be crucial but a new era requires clarity
Liverpool are entering a different phase after the end of Arne Slot’s two year era, and the club are expected to build a new attacking structure, and Wirtz could become one of the key figures in that transition.
But as Šmicer pointed out, signing elite players is only part of the challenge, the next step is creating the right environment for them to succeed.
Wirtz has already shown at Leverkusen and in glimpses in his first season at Anfield that he can be the creative centre of a team, Liverpool’s task now is making sure he can become that player at Anfield.
The fee will continue to bring pressure and the expectations will remain high, but if Iraola can find the right role for Wirtz, Liverpool may have the player capable of defining their next era.
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