What is a Florian Wirtz?
It's a loaded question right now. Some would have you believe he's a £116million flop who should be shipped back to the Bundesliga as soon as Bayern Munich make a reasonable offer.
Others are positioning him as Liverpool's Paul Pogba. Someone who is always one signing away from being unlocked.
There are those who feel he was set up to fail by Arne Slot last term and now he's having to make up for the shortcomings of teammates in key areas. Instead of being the main man, he's the facilitator and it's just a conversation people are reluctant to have.
There's probably some truth in all of the above, though.
Now into his second season at Anfield, the same questions that hung over him during his debut campaign at Anfield still loom over him now.
What is his best position? Is he physically ready for the Premier League? Why is he underhitting five yard passes?
Ultimately, the opinion of Wirtz was going to be shaped by his teammates rather than his actual output. He wasn't ever going to be a 30 goal-a-season attacker, so the price tag was destined to be problematic.
That is how players in the final third are judged though. They're judged on goals and assists unless they're a Roberto Firmino type who, quite clearly, facilitates others.
But for £100m, you'd need to be 'Firmino on steroids' for pundits and rivals to overlook the bottom line.
Wirtz would chip in with goals and assists, just as he did for Bayer Leverkusen. But his USP was his overall threat. A carrier who not only exploits space but carves it out for others. He'd regularly play the pass before the assist.
The German international was the supply line for the supplier rather than the finisher. And that's why his teammates are responsible for how he's viewed by the masses.
Leverkusen platformed him well. They had a striker who he could play off. A left wingback with pace and an absurd ability to put the ball into the penalty area. On the opposite flank, they had pace in behind for those Wirtz balls over the top or between the lines.
Behind the German maestro was a solid base. Granit Xhaka might be a divisive character but he knew his role and he carried it out well.
Liverpool haven't platformed their No7 well and it isn't a controversial thing to say.
Last season, he was shifted about the team as Slot searched for some semblance of control. At times, Wirtz was used in a double pivot, on the right of the attack and even on the left as opposed to the attacking midfield role he'd been pitched before his move to Merseyside.
This time around, he's suffering because of others. The double pivot has limitations and that impacts what Wirtz can or cannot do.
For example, he's covering more ground than any other player on the pitch. When your main creator is the busiest player, there's going to be a trade off, and not a good one.
He's covering more ground than the double pivot players. Last season for Bournemouth, the double pivot of Alex Scott and Tyler Adams dominated the physical metrics. Iraola clearly wants an all action midfield duo but they're having to be propped up by Wirtz. And he isn't even being credited for it.
In a recent piece on The Athletic, James Pearce wrote the following: “Having Florian Wirtz as part of his favoured three-man midfield is a gamble. When the German is an influential creative force, it pays off. But when he is as ineffective in the No 10 role as he was against Fulham, then his presence leaves so much ground for those behind him to cover.”
That's the narrative and yet the reality is completely different with Wirtz doing the leg work for others. A new midfielder for the Reds would ease that burden on him and perhaps help him be more impactful in attack.
And while he has misplaced passes, some inexplicably so at times, he's also carved out opportunities for teammates that they’ve wasted. It's why he's on just one assist for the season when he probably deserves more.
No matter who the Reds bring in, and no matter how he performs as an individual, the likelihood is he'll never be able to justify the £100million fee he moved for. Not to the masses.
He's not a ruthless finisher who is involved in final phase plays. He is not a powerhouse creator in the shape of Kevin De Bruyne either. And Liverpool wouldn't let him become a Bruno Fernandes type.
Wirtz is, essentially, the key to the likes of Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, Victor Munoz and Bradley Barcola all being viewed as hits rather than misses at Anfield.
It'll be a while before we know whether the gamble to sign him paid off with Iraola needing time to platform his attack, especially two new faces in Munoz and Barcola, coupled with a returning to fitness Isak and an injured Ekitike.
To answer the original question: A Wirtz is whatever his teammates allow him to be.
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