Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz: A Shared Understanding

It can take some time for new signings to settle into their new club, and it’s looking like that will be the case for German wonderkind Florian Wirtz. While I wouldn’t call his initial appearances poor per se, it has been telling that he hasn’t been able to impose himself for long stretches in any of the matches to kick off this season. More than anything, it looks as though the speed of play in the Premier League might pose the biggest challenge to the young playmaker.

It’s not necessarily a concern to note that Wirtz is needing time to catch up to how quickly defenders collapse onto a ball carrier, and if we’re to take the word of another high-profile signing, Hugo Ekitike, it should be no concern at all. The French striker, whose own introduction to the Premier League has looked much smoother with three goals in four appearances to date, spoke to the official site about a range of topics but dedicated some time to addressing the quality of Wirtz.

“[Wirtz] is a great, great player, he understands football I think as I understand football. We speak the same language on the pitch, so it’s kind of easy to have a connection with him. But I think you guys haven’t seen everything yet, better days are coming. But obviously the connection is good. We’re almost the same age, same generation, yeah, we talk the same football [language] and even outside football he’s a good guy.”

It’s great to see that the seeming sense of strong team unity is evident in the interviews. While I certainly wouldn’t expect to see dirty laundry aired publicly, Ekitike has struck me as relatively earnest and plain-spoken in the short time that he’s been with the club. There’s also the fact that the bright spots for both players have generally included interplay between the two, which bolsters the credibility of this mention being more than just a player toeing the company line.

Like most Liverpool fans, I’ve got high hopes for Florian Wirtz. While I didn’t watch much Bundesliga last season, the little I did see of Wirtz pointed to a player of real class and quality. In particular, the highlight reels I got to review after the signing told me that he likes to get into the box and create, which is something Liverpool has missed from the midfield position.

It’s my sense that Wirtz will come good and it’s more than welcome to know that his teammates feel similarly.

Source: Sports Yahoo