Why Jurgen Klopp’s Florian Wirtz Message to Liverpool Fans Misses the Point

Germany manager Jürgen Klopp implored all those associated with his former club, Liverpool, to “be happy” with Florian Wirtz after an impressive showing from the divisive playmaker. Yet, the circumstance of his symphony against Serbia completely ignore why he has thus far struggled to perform on Merseyside.

After another underwhelming start to his second season at Liverpool, Wirtz was able to find some merciful respite with his national team. The 23-year-old was superb in a laughably dominant 2–0 victory for Germany on Thursday, tiptoeing through a thicket of bodies to toe the ball off the post before Tom Bischof converted the rebound. On the hour mark, Wirtz would find the back of the net himself, jinking away from Srdjan Babić with a deft touch which gave him all the time in the world to pick out the bottom corner.

“He was bursting with joy and worked incredibly hard,” Klopp gushed when assessing the performance of Germany’s captain for the second half. “That was exceptional; he played a fantastic game. Our style of play suits him.

“I don’t know what he has to do to make everyone happy, but everyone in Liverpool should be happy today.”

Everyone at Liverpool would be happy if Wirtz could reproduce a similar performance in the Premier League. Yet, the playmaker inadvertently outlined why that is so unlikely to happen.

Wirtz Unwittingly Undermines His Own Performance

Belief. pic.twitter.com/rHTWnJFu5C
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) October 1, 2026

Wirtz was everywhere against Serbia, getting his goal while also carving out more key passes than anyone else on the pitch. The roaming playmaker finished the match with more chances created (six) than misplaced passes (four). However, across six appearances for Liverpool thus far this season, Wirtz has been able to muster just one assist and is waiting for his first goal.

It leads to the obvious question of why the same player who shines for Germany can struggle at Liverpool. Context is key.

To begin with, Wirtz is not some all-conquering deity on international duty every time he lines up for the national team. He failed to score a single goal as Germany were humbled by a round of 32 exit to Paraguay at the World Cup and was anonymous in last weekend’s defeat to Greece. Now that he has impressed in white and black, the caliber of his opponents must be considered.

Serbia is not in a good moment. The team that failed to qualify for the largest World Cup ever is on a five-match losing streak, with at least two goals conceded in each of those defeats.

Wirtz Stats for Germany vs. Serbia

Statistic	Wirtz	Match Rank
Goals	1	T-1st
Expected Goals (xG)	0.65	2nd
Chances Created	6	1st
Touches in Opp. Box	8	1st
Dribbles	2	T-1st

Stats via FotMob.

“The opponent gave us more space because they were a bit more disorganized and perhaps looked to counter more,” Wirtz admitted, inadvertently undermining his own performance by pointing out the feeble quality of the team that let him waltz through their backline time and time again. “That created more spaces that we utilized well.”

“What do I need to be at my best?” Wirtz shrugged. “Ideally, a lot of space in every game so I can do what I want!” That simply isn’t going to happen in the Premier League.

Wirtz scored his goal on Thursday by delivering the slightest touch that sent Serbia’s Babić hurtling past the ball with all the misdirection of a fire truck heading towards the wrong inferno. But should that come with an asterisk?

The 30-year-old center back has spent the past three years playing his club soccer in Russia, joining Spartak Moscow after getting relegated from La Liga with Almería. Wirtz isn’t going to come up against a defender nearly as bumbling in the Premier League which helps explain why he has such issue scoring in the competition.

What Can Liverpool Take From Wirtz’s Germany Form?

Florian Wirtz heat map. — Florian Wirtz has a different role for Germany. | FotMob

For all the idosycracies of international soccer, there was perhaps one trait which Andoni Iraola could look to implement to unlock the best of Wirtz: positional flexibility.

This season, Liverpool’s No. 7 has largely been restricted to the left wing (see the heat map above). But Wirtz is a player who thrives when in motion. For Germany against Serbia he was given license to roam across the entire width and breadth of the attacking third, probing for a gap in the loose stitching of the opponent’s backline.

“The players around me also made it very easy for me today,” Wirtz explained. “There was a lot of movement in our game, and we were all eager to play football. That makes it easier to shine.”

Nick Woltemade is a striker who naturally drops off the frontline, creating and plugging gaps for Wirtz to exploit. His Liverpool teammate Alexander Isak is more of a fixed point, keen to remain within the width of the penalty area to make sure he is in the best position to score.

Wirtz revealed that Klopp “wants me to play the kind of football people are used to seeing from me.” Liverpool fans would appreciate a change to the norm but that will only come if others at the club are also willing to adapt their game (and if the Reds start playing wildly inferior opponents).

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