Sometimes, what a coach doesn’t say is more important than what he does.
When Jürgen Klopp announced his callups for the upcoming international break, Florian Wirtz was named in the second team. While this doesn’t mean anything on the surface, the signs are ominous for the young Liverpool FC forward. He has effectively gone from the A-team to the B-team.
If it looks like a B-team…
Some might take issue with the framing. The first squad is not explicitly an “A-team” any more than the second squad is a “B-team.” However, if you
look at the player breakdown by position, it becomes obvious.
Jürgen Klopp named Marc-André ter Stegen as his main keeper going forward. Accordingly, he was named to the first squad. The established starters in defense all got put in the first squad. Joshua Kimmich, the captain and midfield leader, was put in the first squad. Kai Havertz, the starting striker at the World Cup, was put in the first squad.
The second squad, meanwhile, got the youngsters and new callups. Noa Atubolu and Jonas Urbig in goal, Tom Bischof in midfield, players like Said El Mala and Brajan Gruda in attack. That seems like a B-team. The only exceptions would be David Raum, Aleksandar Pavlović, Nick Woltemade, and …
Florian Wirtz.
Why it’s worse for Wirtz
Raum lost his starting position to Brown some time ago. It only makes sense that he would get the B-team treatment. The same goes for Nick Woltemade, who did well during qualifying but was benched by Havertz at the World Cup. His poor club season with Newcastle probably did not help.
Aleksandar Pavlović has been sent a harsh message, possibly because of his disappointing performances at the World Cup. It is telling that Yannick Engelhardt and Anton Stach, two defensively solid midfielders, were picked instead of him. Defending was his biggest weakness during the tournament.
However, because Pavlović plays for Bayern Munich, the team with the most national team call-ups by far, he can slowly prove himself to the coach with performances at the club level. His situation is, at worst, a temporary setback.
Things are different for Florian Wirtz. He was a starter at the World Cup and now finds himself on the outside looking in. Lennart Karl and Serge Gnabry, players who have been injured since forever, have been picked for the A-team instead of him.
For the players on the B-team, Klopp is sending a message. They need to prove themselves. For newbies like Tom Bischof or Said El Mala, this goes without saying. For someone like Florian Wirtz, who was once the future of German football, the downgrade represents a loss of faith from the coach.
What the man said
In case the above sounds too conspiratorial, just compare how Klopp speaks about Wirtz vs his closest competitor, Lennart Karl. For Karl, the excitement is palpable:
When I met Lennart for the first time and shook his hand, I immediately realized: this boy is ready. He’s a real powerhouse and very confident, with very pleasant manners. He’s also a bit ‘cheeky/sassy’, which I like. He had some outstanding moments before his injury. It was a really unfortunate time for him to get injured.
For Wirtz, the tone is measured:
The exchange with Flo was very pleasant. We’re keeping in touch from time to time. I think he’s the player who covered the most ground at Liverpool this season, so the willingness is absolutely there. We have to move away from expecting to see special moments from him. He needs to help us as a team.
We have to make sure that Flo feels comfortable with us. When the team works, then every player shines as a consequence. We need to be satisfied when Flo Wirtz plays a game in which he gave everything but didn’t register a goal or assist. We simply need to give the boy the feeling: ‘That was more than good enough today. You helped us as a team. We won 1–0 or 2–0.’
And then all the experts in the world sit there and discuss why he still hasn’t worked out. There are just as many reasons to say: ‘He’s working perfectly well.’ Now let’s take the next steps together.’ That applies for Flo and all the others.
(Emphasis added by me.)
It is clear that Jürgen Klopp has lost faith in Florian Wirtz, and is trying to downplay expectations. Those are not the statements of a man who is confident his star player will regain form. Klopp, being a former coach of Liverpool, likely understands better than anyone what Wirtz is going through right now. Therefore he understands how difficult it is for him to get back to his best.
Here is where the pragmatism comes in. Klopp cannot plan for EURO 2028 with the idea that Wirtz will magically rediscover his form. So he has to move forward with the players who give him the best shot at returning Germany to a functioning team. Hence the emphasis on Karl, and the division of the two squads.
Wirtz is not necessarily unique in his situation. Nick Woltemade is in the same boat. However, the downfall is a lot more painful for the Liverpool man, because his peak was much higher than Woltemade’s, and so he had further to fall.
Maybe some time out of the spotlight will help Wirtz. However, it is clear that if his performances for Liverpool do not improve, Klopp is ready to move on from him. The first warning has already been sent.
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