Florian Wirtz data v Crystal Palace fully justifies Liverpool’s £116m transfer fee
Liverpool may have lost the Community Shield to Crystal Palace on penalties, but there was a lot for the Reds to be excited about.
Arne Slot’s men twice took the lead inside 21 minutes at Wembley, with goals made in the Bundesliga.
First, Florian Wirtz set up Hugo Ekitike to open his Liverpool account in the fourth minute, before the Reds restored their lead — following a Jean-Philippe Mateta penalty — in the 21st minute with Dominik Szoboszlai assisting an admittedly fortunate Jeremie Frimpong goal.
Leverkusen to Frankfurt, and RB Leipzig to Leverkusen.
But of all the imports from Germany within this squad, it was Wirtz who really caught the eye.
Florian Wirtz dazzles vs Palace
Signed this summer for a fee that could reach £116m (Sky Sports), Wirtz arrives with a huge reputation after playing a key role in Leverkusen winning an unbeaten domestic double and reaching the Europa League final in 2023/24 — not to mention winning the DFL-Supercup and finishing second in the Bundesliga last season.
With that in mind, there’s plenty of pressure on the 22-year-old Germany international’s shoulders. Not that you’d have guessed it on Sunday.
| Bayer Leverkusen stats | Florian Wirtz |
| Appearances | 197 |
| Goals | 57 |
| Assists | 65 |
Wirtz graced the Wembley turf, creating a match-high four chances to the tune of 0.21 xA, while he played 10 passes into the final third, attempted three crosses and had four touches in the opposition box (FotMob).
Of course, to play for Liverpool, you must be world-class on both sides of the ball, and Wirtz proved he is just that with two tackles, seven recoveries and one interception.
“These are players we have brought in for quite a lot of money, but they know how to handle the pressure. Both of them played a good game,” Slot said when asked after the match about the impact of Wirtz and Ekitike (BBC).
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Football Insider verdict
Wirtz and the rest of Liverpool’s new arrivals didn’t get the quick winners’ medal they craved on Sunday. However, that should not detract from an excellent performance.
Virgil van Dijk was not at his best and at least partially culpable for both Palace goals, but the Liverpool captain is usually rock-solid and utterly reliable.
And the rest of the team seemed to function as if they’d been playing together for years, showing the sort of attacking fluidity and overall intensity that became a trademark in the Jurgen Klopp years.
Wirtz was the pick of the bunch, but there were reasons to love the performances of Ekitike and Frimpong aside from their goals, as well as Milos Kerkez.
The old guard played their part, too, with quality performances from Alisson, Ibrahima Konate and Szoboszlai.
Losing the Community Shield is not the end of the world for a club with Liverpool’s ambitions. And there were elements of the game that proved there are tweaks to be made.
But in reality, Slot will likely walk away from Wembley quietly thrilled with the performance his side put out.