He was sorely missed in the 1:1 in Berlin. Without Florian Wirtz (18), the Werkself’s penetrating power is significantly reduced. But this is not the only reason why the young star’s state of health is a special topic at Bayer 04.
The outlook is basically positive. “We hope that he will be able to start again next week “, says Gerardo Seoane about Florian Wirtz, who had to miss the last draw in Berlin due to renewed groin and hip problems. Bayer expects the young star to be able to play again against Bochum.
The real question, however, is how long the 18-year-old will be able to perform on the pitch. After all, these pains already appeared before the start of the season. Regarding the complaints, Seoane explains: “They’ve been a constant up and down since this season. “
In the meantime, these seemed to be a thing of the past. After Wirtz, who has cancelled his participation in the upcoming international matches, had worked specifically on the torso and abdominal muscles. “We had that very well under control. He really didn’t have any problems,” explains Seoane, “but in the Europa League against Betis he felt it again a bit.” With the result that four days later in Berlin, it was impossible for the key player to play.
“We have to keep an eye on it “
Dealing with Wirtz is a balancing act. “It’s not so easy. We all have to be very attentive”, knows the coach, who doesn’t expect a quick solution: “That’s often a thing that stays with you a bit longer. The good thing with Flo is that he doesn’t have an injury. I’m confident that we’ll get to grips with it. “
The course is simply not predictable. “There were no signs until the Betis game,” explains Seoane. But then the complaints reappeared. And that was even before Wirtz received a horse kick on his left hip.
As a result, the club is intensely preoccupied with the case. On Tuesday, there was a special meeting of the medical department because of Wirtz. “It’s already an issue,” admits Seoane, “we have to keep an eye on it. “
“We don’t want to risk an injury “
So at Bayer, they want to be careful. But that’s not easy. “If we had enough players available “, Seoane names the ideal solution, “you would work on him not playing every three days.” In view of the acute shortage of personnel with eight injured players, this is only possible to a limited extent at best.
However, the basic attitude is clear. “With such a young player, we don’t take any risks. Even if it hurts,” the coach emphasises. “One is a game, the other is a career. We don’t want to risk an injury.” All the more remarkable a statement for a coach who recently picked up just two points from his latest four league games.