The seven dribbles he completed out of nine against Wolves were testament to that. Only Iliman Ndiaye (nine) and Jeremy Doku (eight) have completed more in a Premier League game this season.
Liverpool were struggling to break through the visitors but, in those tight spaces, Wirtz was gliding past Wolves players like they were not there.
Early on, he played a ball to Hugo Ekitike from the halfway line that took out four Wolves players and it would have been a contender for assist of the season if the French striker’s effort went in instead of hitting the post.
Ekitike then turned provider as he found Wirtz for his goal, and the manner in which two of Liverpool‘s big summer signings linked up was a huge positive on a day where they struggled past bottom side Wolves.
In the absence of Isak, who is facing eight weeks out with a fractured leg, that is a connection we will be seeing plenty more of in the coming months.
“His quality that he [Ekitike] gave me with the pass – not everyone will see this pass but I am thankful he did and he gave me the opportunity,” said Wirtz.
Manager Arne Slot has spoken about Wirtz and Ekitike bulking up in order to thrive in the Premier League, with the German undertaking a weight-gain programme and focusing on building muscle, durability and improving recovery.
The effects of that are starting to be seen, though there is still work to be done as both Wirtz and his captain Virgil van Dijk insisted.
“He’s getting more used to the intensity and the way we play. He’s very important on the ball and obviously there’s no debate about his qualities,” said Van Dijk.
“We are very pleased for him and he should be very pleased with the goal as well. But I think after 60 minutes or something he was quite tired, so that’s something him and we have to work on as well in order to do that every three days for 90 minutes.”