Analysing Florian Wirtz, the new star of German football
Wirtz has a goal or assist in nine games in a row and they all look superbly different.
Development isn’t linear for footballers. Some burst onto the scene at a young age and either ‘fail’ to meet the lofty expectations people have of them or fade early. Others don’t really hit their stride into they’re well into their 20s. Still, it’s impossible not to get excited by an emerging star. And the Bundesliga has plenty of those.
Jamal Musiala and Jude Bellingham, ex-England youth team-mates, are writing plenty of headlines as they impress with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund on a regular basis. But a third 18-year-old, playing for the side looking most likely to finish third, may even be eclipsing them.
Florian Wirtz became the youngest goalscorer in Bundesliga history (a record he has since lost) in June 2020. In the 16 months since he has become one of the league’s stars and, like Musiala, a Germany international under new boss Hansi Flick.
“He's simply an outstanding technician, loves to play, very creative, has a good shot, runs hard and is quick. He's got the whole package,” the Germany head coach said in a press conference last month.
After appearing as a substitute in all three of Germany’s games in September, there is now some clamour for the 18-year-old to start this time around. And that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise; Wirtz has arguably been the best player in the entire Bundesliga so far this season. The attacking midfielder has six goals and five assists across all competitions, directly contributing to a goal every 40.8 minutes in the league and every 77.5 minutes in the Europa League. He has either scored or assisted in each of his nine club appearances this season, and managed to do both in three of them.
Perhaps most impressively, few of these goals or assists look the same as each other. Wirtz is showing an incredible ability to hurt defences in a myriad of ways. So here, broken down, is every goal and assist and something brilliant shown in each of them.
Assist v Gladbach: Controlled first-time pass
The only goal or assist delivered with just one touch. The ball comes across awkwardly as a high, looping cross from the left touchline finds Wirtz in some space beyond the far post.
He doesn’t even consider keeping possession. Aware that Nadiem Amiri is free in the box, Wirtz has the calmness to play a brilliantly volleyed cut-back pass to a team-mate in space and the technique to pull it off, laying the ball off perfectly for Amiri to beat Yann Sommer.
Assist v Augsburg: Driving on the break
The ball breaks loose and Leverkusen have an ideal opportunity to attack in numbers. Wirtz doesn’t stop to think but does, as you can see in the image, have the presence of mind to take a look around and see who was joining him as he led the charge upfield.
He carried the ball into the Augsburg half before jinking inside a defender and allowing Patrik Schick to take over and apply the finish.
Goal v Augsburg: Instinctive thinking
A long ball forward tempted Rafał Gikiewicz out of his goal but Wirtz was always likely to win the race. When he gets there he thinks quickly to take the goalkeeper out of the game entirely.
Wirtz nudges the ball around the Pole before hopping over him and finishing from a tight angle.
Goal v Dortmund: Scanning
Leverkusen win possession high upfield and Paulinho feed the ball into Wirtz immediately. But before he’s even received possession, he scans quickly to decide what to do with it.
With a clear path to the central defenders, who are also occupied with potential runs from Schick and Moussa Diaby, the answer is clear: drive at them. Wirtz does just that without hesitation, reaching the edge of the area before he’s under pressure and brilliantly nudging the ball home with the outside of his foot.
Assist v Dortmund: Knowing when to pass
Leverkusen are on the break again and outnumber Dortmund as they charge forward. Wirtz firstly helps the attack keep its momentum with a superb first touch.
He then drives with possession unchallenged for as long as possible, running at Marin Pongračić (RCB) as Manuel Akanji (LCB) tries to cover him without leaving Diaby wide open on the other side of the pitch. The brilliance here is in how long he delays his final ball, forcing the centre-backs as close together as possible before Pongračić finally commits and Wirtz can put Schick through on goal.
Goal v Ferencvaros: Knowing when not to move
Knowing how and when and where to run is important. Knowing how and when and where not to is often even more important. Wirtz is a player who wants the ball as often as possible but being drawn to it is often unhelpful in football.
As Schick attracts the defenders in the middle, Wirtz hangs outside the man outside in the last line of defence and waits patiently for the ball to arrive. When it does, he’s in space and can calmly control and finish.
Assist v Stuttgart: Quick-thinking and the right final ball
More quick thinking when the ball is loose. A moment of hesitance from the defender allows Wirtz to play a superb first touch over his opponent’s head before driving into the space before the backline.
When he arrives in the key position he delivers the most dangerous ball, flashing it across the face of the goal. Two Stuttgart players anticipate a cutback and Schick has an easy finish.
Goal v Stuttgart: Sharp pressing
Wirtz works hard off the ball and his pressing has nearly led to a number of goals this season. Moussa Diaby came close against Dortmund after Wirtz stole possession in the opposition half, for example.
The one time it has directly lead to a reward was at Stuttgart. The home side appeared to have won possession against Leverkusen, down to 10 men at the time, but Wirtz pounced on the turnover and snatched the ball back after a loose touch from Dinos Mavropanos.
From there, the route to goal was obvious and a left-footed finish into the far corner was emphatic.
Goal v Mainz: Subtle movement
Sometimes not moving is the best way to be in space, sometimes always moving is. Leverkusen are in an advanced position here but there’s no obvious way to effectively get the ball into a dangerous area without Wirtz bending a run behind a defender, on his blind side, to appear on the other side of him and connect play.
Having brilliantly done that he plays a one-two with Jeremie Frimpong.
And Frimpong surprisingly gave Wirtz the ball back again instead of crossing. The teenager was clearly unprepared but took three perfect touches — one to control, one to get it out of his feet, and one to find the far corner — to score.
Goal v Celtic: Not getting involved
OK, so I lied, two of these goal contributions are really similar and they’re the two goals in the Europa League. What I said there, about knowing when not to come to the ball and hanging on the other side of the pitch as your team-mates take defenders away? Yeah, that again. The run inside drags a defender across and leaves Wirtz free to receive possession and finish.
Assist v Bielefeld: Timing the pass
Wirtz picks up possession in his own half and plays a one-two with a team-mate in midfield to get beyond his marker. Bielefeld immediately have a problem, with Wirtz driving he becomes the fourth player directly between the midfield and the defensive line.
He already has Patrik Schick moving and pointing to where he wants the ball played in behind but Wirtz waits and carries it, taking two more touches, waiting for the perfect moment to play Schick in, giving him as little as possible to do before he can shoot, and thus giving the defenders almost no chance to react.
Wirtz drives into space with the ball brilliantly, at speed but impairing his decision making or the timing of his passes. He can also combine with team-mates, think quickly, and displays superb close control in smaller spaces. He appears to be an excellent finisher who can strike the ball consistently with both feet. He wants the ball but isn’t attracted to it, so keeps the pitch as stretched as possible for defenders. He presses tenaciously, creating chances even when his side are out of possession.
The teenager has a long, long way to go but you can see why he’s shining so far this season and why Hansi Flick may just be tempted to hand him a full international debut this month.