Florian Wirtz is better without injured Liverpool teammate – and the stats back it up

Wirtz's form has improved markedly since Szoboszlai's injury, with stats showing he takes 36% more shots and doubles his goal rate when the Hungarian midfielder is absent.

Florian Wirtz has been in impressive form for Liverpool in recent weeks, contributing to the scoresheet in four consecutive games. His latest effort came on Sunday in a 2-0 win over Brighton, where his shot deflected off Pascal Gross for an own goal.

However, analysis reveals a curious pattern: Wirtz's performances have notably improved since Dominik Szoboszlai suffered an injury that has restricted him to just 32 minutes across Liverpool's last five matches. Stats from Opta show that in the four Premier League games without Szoboszlai starting, Wirtz has taken 10 shots, created nine chances and made over 200 passes. On average, he takes 0.67 more shots per game without Szoboszlai (a 36.4% increase), and his goal rate doubles from one every eight games to one every four games.

This trend has been evident throughout the season. Wirtz scored his first Premier League goal in December against Wolves when Szoboszlai was suspended, and was voted player of the match in a 1-0 win over Sunderland in February when the midfielder was again absent. The improvement has continued this term, with Wirtz assisting Victor Munoz's goal in a comeback win at Brentford after Szoboszlai was substituted with a reaggravated hamstring.