Leverkusen back main man Wirtz to ‘shine’ on European stage

Bayer Leverkusen host AC Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday, hoping for a sparkling performance from star midfielder Florian Wirtz.

Still just 21, Wirtz will make his home debut in the competition, having missed Leverkusen’s most recent Champions League campaign with an ACL injury.

That he will do so against seven-time champions Milan feels appropriate for a player tipped for a long career on the European stage.

Leverkusen’s squad is deep in quality and Xabi Alonso’s coaching is rightly praised, but Wirtz’s spark is central to everything the team does.

Known primarily for his midfield creativity, he is also a goal threat; Wirtz has four goals in five league games this season.

In a team featuring Granit Xhaka, Victor Boniface, Patrik Schick, Alex Grimaldo and Exequiel Palacios, Wirtz is trusted enough to be Leverkusen’s designated penalty taker.

– ‘Allow Flo to shine’ –
Wirtz’s talent is undeniable and despite playing a crucial role as Leverkusen broke through for a debut Bundesliga title, he still has a point to prove in European competition.

He was muscled out in last year’s Europa League final, won 3-0 by Atalanta in Leverkusen’s only loss of a 53-game season.

Bayern Munich adopted a similar approach in Saturday’s 1-1 Bundesliga draw, successfully denting Leverkusen’s creativity by heavily marking the star midfielder.

When Wirtz can free himself from the heavy attention, he is among the most dangerous players in the game.

In Leverkusen’s Champions League opener at Feyenoord — Wirtz’s first match in the competition — he scored a first-half double in a dominant 4-0 win.

At 1.77-metres tall, Wirtz will never be the most physical player, something Alonso knows from personal experience as a similarly proportioned midfielder.

Spea