Florian Wirtz has faced criticism in Germany following the nation's poor showing at the 2026 World Cup, with Toni Kroos taking a sarcastic dig at the Liverpool playmaker on his podcast
Germany's National coach Juergen Klopp addresses a press conference to announce his squad, on September 17, 2026 at the headquarters of DFB (German Football Federation) in Frankfurt, western Germany, ahead of the Nations league football matches. (Photo by Hannes P. Albert / AFP via Getty Images)
Jurgen Klopp has jumped to Florian Wirtz's defense after recent criticism(Image: Getty Images)
Jurgen Klopp has called for reduced pressure on Florian Wirtz as he discussed his initial conversations with the Liverpool playmaker following his appointment as Germany head coach.
Wirtz has encountered criticism for his displays at both club and international level since his big-money transfer from Bayer Leverkusen to the Reds during the summer of 2025, with scrutiny in Germany intensifying after the nation's disappointing 2026 World Cup campaign.
Germany and Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos took a harsh swipe at the Liverpool star on his Einfach Mal Luppen podcast earlier this week - which he hosts alongside his brother, Felix.
The siblings were tasked with identifying three players they hoped to see included in Klopp's first Germany squad who had not featured for their country at the World Cup.
And the former Real Madrid midfielder sarcastically selected Wirtz as one of his three picks while taking a dig at the midfielder's World Cup performances, reports the Liverpool Echo.
"(Aleksandr) Pavlovic, (Florian) Wirtz, and (Jamal) Musiala," he responded, with his brother apparently initially failing to grasp the joke before remarking: "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)?"
Florian Wirtz has faced criticism for his performances with Liverpool and Germany
Florian Wirtz has faced criticism for his performances with Liverpool and Germany(Image: (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images))
Wirtz recorded three assists at the World Cup and started all four of his nation's matches as Germany suffered a round-of-32 exit on penalties at the hands of Paraguay. Meanwhile, having registered seven goals and eight assists across 49 appearances during his debut season on Merseyside, he has added another assist in his five matches so far this campaign.
Fully conscious of the criticism the midfielder has endured over the past year, Klopp moved swiftly to back Wirtz after naming the 23-year-old in the second of two squads for Germany's forthcoming four UEFA Nations League fixtures during 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.
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"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."