New Wirtz numbers show why Liverpool no longer need to protect him

Florian Wirtz’s Premier League impact is now being backed up by another impressive set of numbers, and it is getting harder to frame Liverpool’s summer signing as a player who still needs time and protection.

That shift has been building for weeks, but the post-Newcastle picture makes it clearer, because the German is now producing both the headline moments and the underlying work that tends to travel from match to match.

We saw it again in the 4-1 win over Newcastle at Anfield on Saturday night...