Jürgen Klopp has come to Florian Wirtz’s defence, insisting that the Liverpool midfielder’s quality is unquestionable while suggesting that he arrived at Anfield at an extremely difficult time.
Wirtz joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen in a club-record £116 million transfer last year, but his first season proved challenging. He finished the campaign with seven goals and nine assists in 48 appearances.
The German midfielder has also struggled to establish himself as a key figure in Andoni Iraola’s attack this season, managing just one assist in six appearances so far. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has even suggested that Wirtz should be left out of the starting XI for the upcoming Premier League clash with Manchester City on October 11.
Klopp, who now works with Wirtz as Germany’s national team coach, believes the circumstances surrounding the midfielder’s arrival at Liverpool made his adaptation particularly difficult.
Speaking at Germany’s press conference on Saturday, Klopp avoided going into detail about the criticism surrounding Wirtz, warning that anything he said could create unwanted headlines.
However, he was clear about his belief in Wirtz’s ability.
“Flo Wirtz’s footballing abilities are beyond any doubt,” Klopp said, adding that Germany would work with him to help bring his best performances back on the pitch.
Klopp also explained that Wirtz arrived at Liverpool during a period of immense emotional difficulty following the tragic death of Diogo Jota. According to the former Liverpool boss, football had understandably become less important for many players at the club, while Wirtz was immediately expected to make a major impact as a new signing.
Klopp believes Wirtz has learned significantly from his first season and is now physically ready for the demands of the new campaign. He also pointed out that the midfielder has started almost every game this season apart from the League Cup.
