"I think everyone in Liverpool is very happy today." Jurgen Klopp said that after Germany beat Serbia 2-0, and Florian Wirtz gave him a strong case. Wirtz set up Tom Bischof for the opening goal, then scored in the second half to seal the victory.
Klopp's defence of Wirtz
Klopp told AZ after the match that the way they want to play suits Wirtz. He also said the winger had "worked incredibly hard" and called him "an incredible player who will come back" in comments to the Liverpool Echo.
That public backing is not happening in a vacuum. Wirtz has 1 assist in 5 Premier League appearances this season for Liverpool, and he has logged 403 Premier League minutes. Those numbers leave plenty of room for debate about his start in England, even after the Germany display.
Liverpool's early-season debate
The frustration around Wirtz has come partly from expectations and partly from his role. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said Liverpool had been presented as the club where Arne Slot had promised him the No. 10 position, while Vladimir Smicer said some people are judging him against the fee rather than the player.
Klopp's argument is the cleaner one for now. Wirtz has already shown enough for Germany to remind people of the player Liverpool paid for, and the Serbia game offered the kind of response that should calm some of the noise around him.
The wider club question is still open, but the international evidence is hard to ignore. Germany travel to Greece on Sunday, and Wirtz will go there after a night in which he both created and finished the decisive moves against Serbia.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 6 outlets. How we work →
