116 million pound 'blockbuster' revives the art of central dribbling

Wirtz is Liverpool's most anticipated player in the 2025/26 Premier League season.

In a football era obsessed with “safety” and meticulous passing, Florian Wirtz is reviving a beauty that was once at the heart of the pitch: dribbling directly into the middle. And he is not alone. Eberechi Eze, Ismaila Sarr and Jamal Musiala are also working with their coaches to revive a weapon that seemed to have been relegated to the flanks.

Liverpool’s £116m new signing is more than just a sharp attacker. He’s a machine in the truest sense – fluid in his movements, deft in his handling, and often taking the hardest route: into the thickest of defences. Wirtz’s ability to hold onto the ball, change direction and shield himself with his body allows him to do what many managers dread: break down the length of the pitch.

Why is central dribbling becoming rare?

In English and Scottish football history, dribbling has been synonymous with the wingers - from George Best to Ryan Giggs. The 4-4-2 formation popular in the 1980s and 1990s placed the most skillful player on the wing to exploit space, face full-backs and create opportunities to cross or cut in to finish.

Even with the modern pressing of football, this mindset persists. The reason is clear: losing the ball on the wing is much less dangerous than losing it in the middle, where a back pass can open up a direct counter-attack. For teams that prefer to control the ball, safe short passes in the middle of the pitch are preferred, while risks are “pushed” to the wings.

But the way Wirtz plays – and Eze too – challenges that view. If you can keep the ball and escape pressure well enough, the risks are greatly reduced, while the rewards can be huge: just by getting past an opponent in the middle, the number of defenders is practically reduced immediately.

Florian Wirtz is breathing new life into the Premier League with his daring runs down the middle of the pitch.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot is a man who likes to take calculated risks. Even when he was in charge of PEC Zwolle U14s, he asked his defenders to carry the ball forward and combine with the midfield, stretching the opposition. At Feyenoord, Slot turned Ryan Gravenberch into a deep-lying midfielder whose job was to receive the ball in a “dangerous” position and then turn and beat his opponents.

Last season, Gravenberch’s turns were the starting point for Liverpool’s counter-attacks: Alisson or Van Dijk would hold the ball long enough to invite pressing, then pass to Gravenberch, freeing up space for Mohamed Salah and his attackers to run forward. Slot accepted the risk of losing the ball because the attacking advantage was so great.

Wirtz is being given a similar role. In this summer’s pre-season, he has often turned the ball in midfield and broken into the box. With his technique, the former Bayer Leverkusen star has not only overcome one but sometimes two layers of pressure – a rarity in the modern Premier League.

Last season’s statistics showed the value of “dribbling maestro”. Eberechi Eze averaged 4.79 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Premier League, bettered only by Tyler Dibling (5.29) and Mohammed Kudus (7.22) among players with over 1,800 minutes.

Under Slot, Feyenoord regularly topped the Eredivisie for “progressive carries” – dribbling runs that move the ball closer to the opposition goal. At PSG, Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia were constantly brought into the middle, helping the team lead Ligue 1 for successful dribbles in the final third.

At Bayern Munich, Vincent Kompany also gave Jamal Musiala the freedom to dribble through the middle. Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola encouraged players to “take a little risk” when dribbling.

Why does dribbling value increase?

Modern football has seen man-on-man pressing become more common. In such situations, passing the ball to a teammate who is being marked rarely helps to relieve pressure. Conversely, dribbling past a player can disrupt the entire pressing system – a domino effect that starts with one broken link.

Wirtz's story reflects a broader football philosophy: sometimes, to make a difference, you have to dare to take risks where people fear most.

So players like Wirtz or Eze become “tactical weapons” rather than just for show. Big clubs understand this: Arsenal are interested in Eze, Man City recruited Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders, Liverpool invested a record amount in Wirtz.

Wirtz’s story reflects a wider football philosophy: sometimes, to make a difference, you have to take risks where others fear the most. As Ian Graham, Liverpool’s former head of research, once quoted Brentford owner Matthew Benham as saying: “It requires extreme behaviour to hope for near-optimal attacking play.”

Slot is making that happen at Liverpool. And if Wirtz succeeds, not only will the Kop fans enjoy it, but the Premier League will witness the return of the central penetration that made Maradona, Zidane and Kaka famous.

Dribbling through the middle is nothing new, but it has been pushed out wide by years of safety. The emergence of Wirtz, Gravenberch, Eze, Sarr – and coaches willing to trade safety for explosiveness – is changing that trend.

And when the 2025/26 Premier League kicks off, don't be surprised if the best moments of the season come from a midfield turn, a neat turn and a sprint straight into the heart of the defence.

Source: https://znews.vn/bom-tan-116-trieu-bang-hoi-sinh-nghe-thuat-re-bong-trung-lo-post1575927.html