Florian Wirtz came on as a second-half substitute in Germany’s disappointing 1-0 loss to Greece in the UEFA Nations League in Augsburg—Jürgen Klopp’s second match in charge of the German national team. Wirtz was originally expected to feature in the second of two separate squads from Klopp’s overall 44-man roster, but the Liverpool man was called up early after both Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz suffered injuries during the Netherlands match in Amsterdam.
For Liverpool fans, the hope for the international
break was that Klopp could help reignite Wirtz’s form, which has been underwhelming at best so far this season for the Reds. Coming on in a tough situation while 1-0 down in Augsburg, Wirtz was unable to make his presence felt during his 25-minute shift. His last action was an overhit pass to Hennes Behrens at the death during Germany’s final attack before the full-time whistle. His visible frustration underscored how his season has gone so far at Liverpool.
Klopp, however, is looking at the bigger picture regarding Wirtz’s time on Merseyside. Wirtz joined from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2025, during the same window that Liverpool suffered the tragic loss of Diogo Jota—an unforeseen tragedy the club had to navigate. Prior to the move, Wirtz had been heavily courted by Bayern Munich for quite some time, but he ultimately chose to accept the project sold to him by Arne Slot.
“When you look at the overall context, Flo joined Liverpool at a very unfortunate time. It’s about the passing of Diogo Jota. He joined a team with players whose priority was not football at that time, which is very understandable. He learned a lot from his first year. Now it is a new season under a new coach, and I think he has started all the games. Physically, he is doing very well,” Klopp rationalized in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Greece fixture (via @iMiaSanMia).
It presents both a difficult conundrum and a luxury for Iraola, who has form attackers at his disposal but must figure out how to fit Wirtz into the setup. Many fans have argued that the number 10 role should belong to Dominik Szoboszlai, who often plays a box-to-box role alongside wide options like Cody Gakpo, Bradley Barcola, Rio Ngumoha, and Víctor Muñoz. Using Wirtz primarily in a central role seemingly leaves him at risk of being surplus to requirements, yet leaving out a player of his caliber—and price tag, alongside Alexander Isak—is equally difficult.
Even so, Klopp sees positive signs brewing in Liverpool’s attack and believes Wirtz will remain a central figure. Despite a modest overall performance, Wirtz did provide the assist for Isak’s winning goal in the 1-0 victory at Bournemouth just before the international break.
“The team is starting to find itself again. Attacking players always need a functioning team around them. Everyone who loves football can see what an outstanding player Flo Wirtz is. We can’t do more than build him up in our team with enough training and playing time—bit by bit giving him certainty and a good feeling before sending him back to Liverpool. I wish him all the best,” Klopp stressed.
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