Liverpool have a creative genius and Arne Slot’s team still can’t score

Anfield’s newest magician is pulling rabbits out of the hat, only to watch his team-mates let them sprint away. Florian Wirtz, the £115 million summer signing from Bayer Leverkusen, is creating chances at a rate no other Premier League player can match this season, yet Liverpool’s March has produced one point from nine and a grand total of two goals, neither of them the product of open-play artistry.

Saturday’s 2-1 loss at Brighton was the nadir of a wretched month. A wayward back-pass gifted Liverpool their equaliser; their other recent strikes have come from a free-kick against Tottenham and a set-piece at Wolves. In between, Wirtz has been asked to unpick deep blocks almost single-handedly. He supplied eight key passes in the mid-week Champions League win over Galatasaray and, according to TNT Sports’ in-match graphic, leads the league in chances created across all competitions.

The numbers expose the contradiction. Liverpool have touched the ball inside the opposition box more than any top-flight side, yet rank only sixth for “big chances” and are nearer Crystal Palace in seventh than Manchester United in fifth. Without a credible counter-attacking threat or the off-ball movement to stretch compact defences, Wirtz’s deliveries are being converted at a trickle.

Arne Slot’s reshuffle, prompted by Hugo Ekitiké’s injury, pushed the 22-year-old into a higher, more central role against Brighton. It was the German’s second full 90 minutes since a back complaint sidelined him in February, and the uptick in his influence was evident. Still, the Seagulls left with three goals points while Liverpool were left to rue another sobering lesson in finishing.

Wirtz’s personal tally stands at four goals and two assists in 27 league appearances – modest returns that club sources insist will balloon once a coherent attacking structure is built around him. Despite whispers of a quick escape to Real Madrid, Liverpool consider the playmaker “untouchable” and plan to build their 2026-27 blueprint around his vision.

For now, the vision is clearer than the execution. Liverpool possess the league’s most prolific chance-creator and one of its most profligate attacks. Until Slot solves the riddle of turning possession into clear-cut finishes, even genius will continue to go unrewarded.