Florian Wirtz and Robert Lewandowski: Slow Starts for Great Players

It is not easy to be Florian Wirtz. Being purchased by Liverpool at a high price has placed a burden of expectations on his shoulders. Indeed, after several weeks, Wirtz has struggled to deliver his best performance under the guidance of Arne Slot. A similar situation has befallen Robert Lewandowski at Barcelona. The goal-hungry striker has once again started the season slowly.

Liverpool broke the English Premier League transfer record by acquiring Wirtz for a fee of 116 million pounds (Rp 2.5 trillion). This record was soon surpassed by Liverpool when they signed Alexander Isak from Newcastle United for 125 million pounds (Rp 2.8 trillion).

Wirtz is expected to lead the front line while also orchestrating attacks in the 4-2-3-1 formation. However, by the fifth week of the English Premier League, Wirtz has yet to score a goal or provide an assist. He only managed to record an assist during the Community Shield, where Liverpool was defeated by Crystal Palace in a penalty shootout.

The statistics do not reflect Wirtz's quality while playing in the Bundesliga. Last season, Wirtz scored 16 goals and provided 15 assists in 45 appearances across all competitions. In the first five weeks of the Bundesliga, Wirtz has already collected four goals and one assist. Occupying the same position and receiving a considerable amount of playing time at Leverkusen and Liverpool, Wirtz's slow performance at the beginning of this season is quite unusual.

Wirtz admitted his performance at the start of the season wasn't optimal. He said he still needed to adjust to the Slot game plan, which demands high levels of determination. According to Wirtz, the Premier League is very energy-draining because players run and press more than usual.

The coach told me that within the squad, I do not need to pressure myself about how much money the club spends.

This is different from the Bundesliga, where Wirtz feels he can still take a break. In the English League, even a slight delay in movement can result in the opponent punishing by scoring a goal. Therefore, Wirtz is compelled to keep running to close spaces when defending or vice versa.

Wirtz stated that he has followed Slot's instructions by running and pressing more frequently, but this has actually caused his stamina to deplete quickly. As a result of his stamina being drained from running and pressing, he has become less effective in ball control.

"Yes, it's possible that I'm trying to pass the ball faster. I recently spoke to the coach about it, and he explained why I might not be able to get into the situations I normally get into, which is speeding up the game by dribbling or passing," Wirtz said in an interview with Sky Sport Germany.

Despite struggling to adapt to the fast-paced style of the English League, Wirtz feels that he will be able to reach his best performance after going through match after match. Additionally, from a psychological perspective, Wirtz also senses a kind of pressure wrapped in the expectations surrounding his transfer fee.

"But right now, that (feeling of pressure) is over. The coach told me that within the squad, I do not need to pressure myself about how much money the club has spent. This is because it feels like everyone around us could spend that much money if they were playing elsewhere," he said.

In La Liga, what Wirtz is experiencing is similar to the situation of Lewandowski. The difference is that Lewy, as Lewandowski is affectionately called, is not a newcomer like Wirtz, but rather has experience in La Liga. Lewy started the season slowly, having contributed only three goals in six matches, including one goal in the victory against Real Oviedo, 3-1, on Friday (26/9/2025).

For a striker of Lewy's caliber, scoring three goals at the beginning of the season does not reflect his true abilities. Last season, Lewy managed to score four goals and provide two assists in the first five league matches. According to Lewy, an injury during the preseason hindered his optimal performance.

"I picked up an injury towards the end of preseason. That's why it was a bit difficult for me at the start of the season. It took me a while to find my rhythm again," Lewy said after the match against Oviedo, as quoted by Diario AS.

Lewy is not overly concerned about his lack of goals and the barrage of criticism regarding his performance. Aside from injury issues, Lewy believes the season is still very long, which makes him feel he has plenty of time to recover his form.

"I have patience, I am not in a hurry. I always want to do what I like and what I want to do, score goals and ultimately help my team," he said.

Nevertheless, Lewy must quickly regain his sharpness in order to maintain his position as a starting player. While Lewy's performance has declined, Ferran Torres has excelled, scoring four goals and providing one assist in seven matches. If Lewy does not recover soon, his position as a striker for Barca will be permanently taken over by Torres.