Klopp's Bold Defense of Wirtz Blows Up in His Face Almost Instantly

Germany manager Jürgen Klopp moved to defend struggling Florian Wirtz, highlighting the "absolutely unfavorable" circumstances that have surrounded the player since his arrival at Liverpool.

Expectations were sky-high for Wirtz when he made Anfield his new home ahead of the 2025–26 season. The former Bayer Leverkusen star joined Liverpool for a club-record fee of £116 million ($154 million), widely regarded as a formidable addition to the reigning English champions.

What followed was a debut season to forget, filled with relentless criticism that has continued to follow the Germany international into 2026–27. Wirtz has managed just seven goals for the Reds, a tally he has yet to improve upon in his second campaign.

Klopp, eager to unlock the best from the No. 10 for Die Mannschaft, was quick to put Wirtz's early difficulties on Merseyside into perspective.

"When you look at the full picture, you'll see that Florian joined Liverpool at an absolutely unfavorable time, connected to the death of Diogo Jota," Klopp said on Saturday. "He joined a squad whose players' focus at that point was not on football, which is entirely understandable."

Klopp's remarks align with those of Andy Robertson, who recently opened up about the devastating reality of playing through the 2026–27 season just weeks after Jota and his brother André Silva tragically died in a car accident.

"If I'm talking about the new signings, they're coming into a club that is heartbroken, and they're trying," Robertson said on the Stick to Football podcast. "That's when I felt so sorry for these guys because they had signed, and they were signing for big money. If I'm talking about football, when it took them months to settle in, because we were like ghosts."

Liverpool went on to finish fifth in the Premier League, requiring a result on the final day of the season to secure Champions League qualification. The club claimed no silverware and ultimately parted ways with former manager Arne Slot, who had spent £446 million ($590.7 million) to bring in Wirtz and six other new players the previous summer.

The Adversity Continues for Wirtz

Wirtz eventually found his footing at Anfield last season, contributing 10 goal involvements once the calendar turned to 2026. It was far from the output supporters had hoped for from such a high-profile signing, but it represented encouraging progress nonetheless.

Then Andoni Iraola stepped in to replace Slot in the dugout, introducing new tactics and fresh personnel to an already inconsistent Liverpool side. Klopp, however, can see Wirtz developing under the new head coach, even if the transition temporarily unsettled the 23-year-old.

"[Wirtz] learned a great deal from his first year. Now there is a new season under the guidance of a new coach," Klopp said. "He is performing at a very strong physical level, and the team has started to find its rhythm once again."

Klopp, who managed Liverpool for nine years before stepping down in 2024, appears somewhat more optimistic than many observers of the Reds. After all, Wirtz has just one assist and no goals in six appearances this season.

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher offered blunt criticism of Wirtz following the team's 1–0 victory over Bournemouth: "The reason I worry is, I don't think Wirtz is in poor form since he came to Liverpool. I actually think what we're seeing is what he is."

Liverpool Fans Hoping Klopp Can Work His Magic

The international break arrived at an ideal moment for Wirtz. He gets a reprieve from domestic scrutiny to return to his home country, where he is working under one of the finest managers in world football.

Wirtz was named in the second of Klopp's Germany squads, set to face Serbia and Greece while the first group of players took on the Netherlands and Greece. The 23-year-old was called up earlier than expected following injuries to Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz, and played 25 minutes in the team's disappointing 1–0 defeat to Greece on Sunday.

The No. 10 failed to create a single chance in a match Germany desperately needed to win, and managed just one shot, which failed to trouble the goalkeeper.

It was precisely the kind of performance Liverpool fans had hoped to avoid from Wirtz, but Klopp still has two more weeks to work his magic with the young star.

Unfortunately for the Reds, the manager will need to focus on guiding his new side to victory rather than dedicating all his attention to developing Wirtz.