Supercup in England: quick title premiere? Wirtz already a eye -catcher in Liverpool

Even before his first competitive game for FC Liverpool, Florian Wirtz is a crowd favorite. Cheers celebrated at his test game premiere in Angeld, Wirtz is now taking action with his new employer right after the first title. “I really enjoy the first few weeks,” said the German record purchase of the Reds in front of England’s Supercup, the Community Shield, on Sunday (4:00 p.m./DAZN) in the London Wembley Stadium against Cup winner Crystal Palace with coach Oliver Glasner.

Wirtz, who was hired by Bayer Leverkusen for a transfer of up to 150 million euros, quickly arrived at Liverpool FC. “It gets a little better every time, so I’m satisfied with the previous course,” said the German newcomer before the end of a promising season preparation.

Anfield’s hopes rest on Wirtz

“You can’t take your eyes from Florian Wirtz,” enthused the “Mirror” after the 3-2 in the friendly against Athletic Bilbao. BBC Sport praised “some great actions with strong ball touches”. Liverpool coach Arne Slot was also satisfied: “Florian brings a lot of creativity in the last third.” The 22-year-old was celebrated by the fans loudly several times at the Anfield debut.

High hopes rest on the national player – and with it a lot of pressure. So far, it seems, he does not be intimidated by it. “I haven’t played a game in the Premier League yet, but I’m really looking forward to it – that’s why I came up,” said Wirtz.

He had scored his first goal for the Reds in Japan in the friendly against Yokohama F. Marinos. “The big challenge will be to win the title again, and that is the most difficult.”

Difficult mission title defense

In the summer of 2024, coach Slot replaced the fan idol Jürgen Klopp – and surprisingly won the championship with Liverpool in his first season. The team was even on course for four titles for a while. Then that came out in the FA Cup against second division team Plymouth, the final defeat in the league cup against Newcastle United and finally the bitter departure in the Champions League after penalty shooting against Paris Saint-Germain.

In order to stay competitive in all competitions, Liverpool has to increase – especially since you cannot assume that Manchester City and Arsenal are weakening again. On top of that, Slot lost two absolute top performers with the fatally crashed Diogo Jota and the Trent Alexander-Arnold, which was changed to Real Madrid. In addition to Luis Diaz, who moved to Bayern, Darwin Núñez moves to Al-Hilal to Saudi Arabia.

Large offensive in transfer summer

That is why, unlike previous years, the club started a major offensive on the transfer market this summer, which may not yet be completed. In addition to Wirtz, the Bundesliga also came from Bayer teammate Jeremie Frimpong and Hugo Ekitiké from Eintracht Frankfurt. Alexander Isak from Newcastle United could be added. However, Newcastle rejected a first offer of the Reds over around 125 million euros.

How can the club affect this shopping tour? According to the auditing company Deloitte, Liverpool took around 714 million euros in the 2024 financial year-for example through TV money, Champions League premiums and sponsorship deals. The stadium expansion led to more income on the game days. For Diaz, Liverpool is said to have received 75 million euros from Munich. So there is no threat of a violation of the financial rules of the league.

Wirtz is ripe for the island

Florian Wirtz feels ready for the new challenge a week before the Premier League start against the AFC Bournemouth-is ripe for the island, so to speak. “It will be different than in the Bundesliga,” he said, “but I think that’s also something that I can learn and get better, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

His teammate Frimpong has no doubt that Wirtz has grown expectations. “Flo cannot be intimidated by pressure,” he said Sky Sports. “On the contrary – he needs him. He will be perfect. You can look forward to a winner.”