This would be the perfect moment for Florian Wirtz to show what he can really do

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The Premier League champions beat off competition from Bayern Munich and Manchester City to secure the signature of a player they believed would give them a new attacking dimension. So far it hasn’t worked out how either party envisaged. The Germany international boasts just six goals and seven assists in 41 appearances in all competitions. His only Champions League goal arrived in January’s 6-0 thrashing of Qarabag and his only assists in the competition came in similarly comfortable wins over Eintracht Frankfurt and Galatasaray. There have been flashes of brilliance but what’s been lacking is a truly standout performance on the big stage. On a night when Arne Slot’s wounded Liverpool side will have to contend with the quality of Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue, the Parc des Princes would be the perfect place for Wirtz to put that right. “These are the kind of games you want to play as a player,” Wirtz told reporters in Paris as he looked ahead to the first Champions League quarter-final of his career. “I dreamed about them when I came to the club so I’ll try everything to do a good game here and also next week at Anfield.” There are mitigating factors for Wirtz’s patchy first season at Liverpool. Forgetting the price tag, he’s a 22-year-old experiencing life outside of his homeland for the first time. Initially, he found the physicality and intensity of English football something of a culture shock and had to bulk up in a bid to get to grips with it. He’s also been trying to make his mark in a team which has glaring weaknesses in all departments. Last Saturday’s chastening 4-0 FA Cup defeat to Manchester City was a case in point. Wirtz started brightly and caused City plenty of problems when it was goalless. However, Liverpool fell to pieces after Erling Haaland opened the scoring from the penalty spot and Wirtz’s influence waned drastically before he was taken off midway through the second half. Captain Virgil van Dijk suggested post-match at the Etihad that Liverpool had been guilty of “giving up” during a disastrous 20-minute spell either side of the break when they conceded four times. There have been plenty of home truths exchanged in the days since in an attempt to trigger a response. “I didn’t know that Virgil said this but I think I would not agree directly because we still tried to create chances to turn the game around,” Wirtz said. “Of course when you are 3-0 or 4-0 down, mentally it’s difficult to go and go and go. This was not our standards to lose 4-0 against City. “We need 90 minutes of full energy and commitment otherwise we will have no chance against PSG.  We need 90 minutes of being together as a team. If we concede we have to stick together in bad moments and believe we can still win this game and also we still have a second game at home. On the weekend we were a little bit wild on the pitch. We have to fix that.” Slot finds himself under mounting pressure with unrest growing among the fanbase. It’s a far cry from the backdrop to Liverpool’s previous trip to Paris last March when they were on the brink of securing Premier League title glory. Despite the current malaise, Wirtz insists the players remain fully behind their Dutch head coach. He said: “Yes of course we are believing in the manager. The team should believe in the manager because they won the league last season. We’ve also had a lot of good games this season but we wanted it to be better. “We still have things to play for. We are still in the Champions League and we want qualification for the Champions League next season so we still have some goals we want to achieve. We wanted it to be better but there’s still something to play for.” PSG’s preparations have been far more serene. Luis Enrique’s side, who scored eight goals across two legs against Chelsea in the last 16, beat Toulouse 3-1 on Friday and sit four points clear at the top of Ligue 1 with a game in hand. Bradley Barcola will miss the first leg due to injury but could feature at Anfield next week. The European champions appear to be clicking into form at the right time with the mood buoyant in the French capital. “It’s going to be a walk in the park, honestly — Liverpool are disastrous,” former French striker turned pundit Christophe Dugarry told RMC Sport. “In my opinion, the difference in level is colossal. I think PSG will wrap up the quarter-final in the first leg. It’s going to be a massacre. Have you seen Liverpool play? They’re catastrophic.” L’Equipe reporter Pierre-Etienne Minonzio did offer some crumbs of comfort for the visitors. “Nobody within the club thinks it will be a massacre,” he said. “There is total confidence but they do respect Liverpool a lot. “Before the first leg against Chelsea there were huge doubts around PSG. There was talk about them being physically and mentally exhausted. But that 5-2 win felt like a turning point as it changed the momentum around the team. “The dynamic is different to a year ago. Now there is huge expectation. The biggest difference in terms of the PSG team is the goalkeeper. Matvey Safonov is nowhere near the same level of Gianluigi Donnarumma, who left for Man City. Marquinhos also isn’t as good as he was. “Chelsea caused them problems for 60 minutes with their high pressing. If Liverpool are very offensive and intense like that they could do the same as PSG aren’t used to it. But are Liverpool really in the shape to do that?” Trying to sit back and simply contain PSG will be asking for trouble. Liverpool need to be brave and they will look to Wirtz to provide a creative spark. He will be tasked with providing service for top scorer Hugo Ekitike, who is set to lead the line against his former club. Alexander Isak, who succeeded Wirtz as Liverpool’s record purchase when he arrived from Newcastle United for £125million last September, could make his comeback from injury off the bench. The mission is to ensure that they leave Paris still in contention for a place in the semi-finals ahead of next Tuesday’s second leg at Anfield. “I think we have shown this season already that we are good in big games and especially in Champions League games,” Wirtz added. “We believe in ourselves. We have a good group with good characters and great players, and also a good manager who tries to prepare us well. The second game at home is maybe an advantage so we need a good result here.” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms James Pearce joins the Athletic after 14 years working for the Liverpool Echo. The dad-of-two has spent the past decade covering the fortunes of Liverpool FC across the globe to give fans the inside track on the Reds from the dressing room to the boardroom. Follow James on Twitter @JamesPearceLFC