Seven games unbeaten doesn’t mean everything’s perfect, but it does suggest something is taking shape. Not a final product, not a team purring every week, but a side that’s slowly getting better and finding its feet again. And in amongst the noise, Wirtz looks like he’s beginning to come to terms with what the Premier League demands from you: speed of thought, physical pressure, and the fact you rarely get a second to admire your own touch.
There was one moment in particular that stood out: the kind of pass that makes you sit up because you can see the picture before everyone else has even realised there is one. The description says it took four defenders out of the game and set Hugo away early on, and that’s exactly the point with players like this. They don’t always look like they’re dominating, because they’re not dominating with running power or volume. They do it by removing bodies from the phase with one decision.
Unbeaten runs don’t happen by accident
You can overdo unbeaten runs, of course you can. They can include draws that feel like missed chances, and there are weeks where you know Liverpool have another gear. But being hard to beat is still a base. It means the structure is doing something, it means there’s a level of resilience, and it usually means habits are being built rather than constantly reset.
It also matters because confidence is a real thing in football. When you’re not constantly recovering from the last punch, you start to play with a bit more authority. Presses get that split-second sharper. Distances between players make more sense. The simple stuff becomes simpler again.
Criticism is fine, but at least watch what’s happening
Criticism is part of it. Always has been. Liverpool supporters have never been shy of saying when it’s not right, and fair enough. The difference is whether it’s constructive or whether it’s just a pre-written conclusion looking for evidence.
Some of the coverage can feel like that, the Neville-and-Carragher thing where a narrative is set before kick-off and the match is then forced to fit it. If you’re expecting perfection as a right, you’ll find faults in everything. Truth is, football isn’t like that. Even the best sides have messy spells, games where you’re a touch off it, or periods where a player is learning on the job.
Wirtz, time, and the Bobby thought experiment
The idea that Wirtz just needs a bit of time feels bang on. Not because he’s getting everything right, but because you can see what he’s trying to do and how it can lift the whole team when it clicks. Those passes that cut straight through a set defence? That’s not fluff. That’s the stuff that changes games.
And then there’s the little fantasy that’s hard not to enjoy: Wirtz in the same side as Bobby Firmino at his peak. Bobby dropping, linking, dragging centre-halves into the wrong places, while Wirtz picks the lock behind him. It’s one of those “what could that have looked like?” thoughts that reminds you why you stick with talented footballers through the settling-in period.
If Liverpool are getting better, even slowly, it’s worth acknowledging it. Not because we shouldn’t demand standards, but because ignoring the green shoots helps nobody, least of all the team.
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