Alan Pardew explains why Florian Wirtz didn't hit ground running in Premier League for Liverpool

Florian Wirtz has become a major talking point around the Premier League after his debut for Liverpool in the 4-2 win against Bournemouth.

The Reds squandered a two-goal lead after Antoine Semenyo’s second-half brace levelled the contest at Anfield, but late goals courtesy of Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah secured the three points.

Hugo Ekitike continued his “very promising” Liverpool start on Friday evening, opening the scoring in the 37th minute before assisting Cody Gakpo for the hosts’ second.

Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

Although the Reds lost the Community Shield against Crystal Palace, Wirtz impressed alongside Ekitike at Wembley in their first competitive start.

However, Wirtz failed to make a recognisable impact on his Premier League debut, and former English top-flight manager Alan Pardew believes he knows why the German struggled on the night.

Florian Wirtz needs confidence to thrive at Liverpool

When speaking live on talkSPORT, Pardew cited that Wirtz needs to gain the confidence that he can be a leading player for Liverpool in the Premier League.

“So, you know, it’s not unusual for big signings to have that kind of adjustment period, especially coming into the Premier League. Today, we saw Cunha and Mbeumo, who are Premier League-ready, look good. And I’ve got to do it in parts.

“There’s a secret to that, because obviously, when you’ve done it at, say, West Ham or somewhere else, you’ve been the big fish, you’ve been the star, right? And you’ve got that super ‘uber’ confidence that you know you can play in the Premier League.

“Sesko and Wirtz and all those others – they haven’t got that confidence yet. They’ve got the confidence of playing in the Bundesliga or wherever – Ligue 1 in Portugal or wherever they’ve come from – but you need that uber confidence that you’re the man in the Premier League.”

Wirtz has huge expectations at Anfield, which is natural given the size of the transfer fee required to acquire the midfielder from Bayer Leverkusen, paired with his glowing reputation in Germany.

Indeed, Wirtz left a lot to be desired against Bournemouth as he would have hoped for a more immediate impact for the Reds, but he has already showcased his immense talent, taking only four minutes to assist Ekitike at Wembley.

The 22-year-old could have made Premier League history had he managed to join his French teammate in scoring on his league debut, but it is still early days in his Liverpool career, and there is plenty of time to prove the doubters wrong.

Liverpool supporters do not need to worry about Florian Wirtz

The arrival of the German international represented a significant coup for Liverpool as they beat out Manchester City and Bayern Munich for his signature.

His performances for Bayer Leverkusen last season earned Wirtz a Ballon d’Or nomination, as no logical football supporter would deny he is one of the best in the world at his position.

Wirtz is not the only new arrival at Anfield, and as Arne Slot named four new faces to the side who lifted the league title on the final day last term, it is, of course, inevitable that it will take time for the pieces to fall into place.

Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images

Liverpool will face a tough early-season test with clashes against Newcastle United and Arsenal next up, and the perfect stage for Wirtz to show he can challenge Salah to be the leading talisman for the new-look Reds.

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