Jurgen Klopp has leapt to the defence of Florian Wirtz after including the Liverpool playmaker in his first Germany squad
Germany head coach Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool playmaker Florian Wirtz
Germany head coach Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool playmaker Florian Wirtz(Image: Getty Images)
View Image
Jurgen Klopp has urged for there to be less pressure on Florian Wirtz as he opened up on his first talks with the Liverpool playmaker since being appointed Germany head coach.
Wirtz as faced criticism for his performances for club and country since joining the Reds in an £116m switch from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2025 with scrutiny in his homeland only increasing following Germany’s poor showing at the 2026 World Cup.
Germany legend Toni Kroos fired a cheap dig at the playmaker on his Einfach Mal Luppen podcast earlier this week - one he makes with his brother, Felix.
The pair were challenged to name three players they would like to see named in Klopp's first Germany squad who had not represented their country at the World Cup.
And the former Real Madrid midfielder sarcastically named Wirtz as one of his three choices as he took aim at the midfielder’s showings at the World Cup.
“(Aleksandr) Pavlovic, (Florian) Wirtz, and (Jamal) Musiala,” he replied, with his brother seemingly initially missing the joke before adding: “What? Which World Cup did you guys miss? Oh, (you say that) because they went unnoticed (and it’s as if they weren’t there)?”
Wirtz recorded three assists at the World Cup and started all four of his nation’s games as Germany suffered a round-of-32 exit on penalties at the hands of Paraguay.
Meanwhile, after boasting seven goals and eight assists from 49 appearances during his first season in Merseyside, he has claimed a further assist in his five outings so far during the current campaign.
Well-aware of the backlash the midfielder has faced over the past year, Klopp was quick to defend Wirtz after including the 23-year-old in the second of two squads for Germany’s upcoming four UEFA Nations League fixtures in the expanded September/October international break.
“The communication has been very pleasant,” he said. “We keep 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 the idea that we need to see special moments from him. He is there 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. You have to be satisfied with a game in which Flo Wirtz gave everything but didn’t have a goal or assist.
“We simply have 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 sit there and discuss why it still didn’t work out for him. There are just as many reasons to say: ‘He is performing perfectly fine.’ Now we’ll take the next steps together. That applies for Flo and all the others.”