Former Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp has backed midfielder Florian Wirtz to come good for the club, explaining that the timing of his move was unfortunate. The Germany coach oversaw his first game in charge of the team last week, with Wirtz absent from the 1-1 draw with the Netherlands.
Klopp spoke ahead of his first home game against Greece, explaining the situation around 23-year-old midfielder Wirtz. He pointed out that the German joined in the same summer that Diogo Jota passed away in heartbreaking fashion, meaning that he joined a club that was mourning and had football in a secondary position.
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“When you look at the overall context, Flo joined Liverpool at a very unfortunate time. It’s about the passing of Diogo Jota. He joined a team with the players whose priority was not football at that time, which is very understandable.
He learned a lot from his first year. Now is a new season under a new coach, he started all games, I think. He’s physically doing very well. The team is starting to find itself again. Attacking players always need a functioning team around them.
Everyone who loves football can still see what an outstanding player Flo Wirtz is. His footballing ability is beyond any doubt. He is on a good path, but people are never satisfied with how quickly things happen
We have to make sure that Flo feels comfortable with us and can fit into what we want from him. With us, hopefully, he can simply be Flo. We can’t do more than we’re doing here, namely build him up in our team with enough training and playing time. Bit by bit, give him certainty, a good feeling, and then send him back to Liverpool. I wish him all the best,” he said (via Tribal Football).
Florian Wirtz has struggled to find his feet for Liverpool since his £116 million move from Bayer Leverkusen, where he established himself as one of the finest young players in Europe. In his first season, he managed just seven goals and eight assists in 49 appearances across all competitions as the Reds limped to fifth place in the league.
This season has been more of the same under Andoni Iraola, with the midfielder yet to score in six appearances across multiple competitions, only providing an assist. Klopp believes that he will go on to become a key player, which is what he needs to be, for the Reds due to his undeniable talent.
Liverpool star pulls out of national team squad due to injury
Liverpool striker Alexander Isak has returned to Merseyside early after he sustained an injury while on international duty for Sweden. The 27-year-old had been included in the squad for his country’s UEFA Nations League games, but has now left after playing just one game.
Isak started and played the entire 90 minutes, scoring one of the goals as Sweden overcame Romania in Solna. He received a stamp on his toe, leaving him bloodied by the end of the game. He has now been allowed to return to his club to recover from the minor injury.
Sweden will be without Isak for games against Poland, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Romania. The former Newcastle United man has been in fine form this season, scoring four goals in five games for Liverpool, one more than he did in the entirety of the 2025-26 season.
Edited by Sulayman Salahudeen