Klopp's Wirtz Reassurance Falls Flat: Here's What Liverpool Fans Really Need to Hear

Germany head coach Jürgen Klopp urged everyone connected with his former club, Liverpool, to "be happy" with Florian Wirtz following an eye-catching display from the polarizing attacking midfielder. However, the conditions surrounding his standout performance against Serbia completely overlook why he has so far found it difficult to replicate that form on Merseyside.

After yet another underwhelming start to his second campaign at Liverpool, Wirtz found some welcome relief with his national side. The 23-year-old was outstanding in a comfortably dominant 2–0 win for Germany on Thursday, weaving through a cluster of defenders to nudge the ball against the post before Tom Bischof tapped in the rebound. On the hour mark, Wirtz got on the scoresheet himself, dancing past Srdjan Babić with a subtle touch that gave him all the time he needed to slot into the bottom corner.

"He was full of energy and worked unbelievably hard," Klopp enthused when reflecting on the showing of Germany's second-half captain. "That was outstanding; he put in a brilliant performance. Our system really suits him.

"I don't know what more he has to do to satisfy everyone, but everyone at Liverpool should be pleased today."

Everyone at Liverpool would indeed be pleased if Wirtz could deliver a comparable performance in the Premier League. Yet, the playmaker inadvertently highlighted exactly why that remains so unlikely.

Wirtz Unwittingly Undermines His Own Performance

Belief. pic.twitter.com/rHTWnJFu5C

Wirtz was omnipresent against Serbia, netting his goal while also producing more key passes than any other player on the field. The free-roaming midfielder ended the match having created more chances (six) than he had misplaced passes (four). However, across six outings for Liverpool so far this season, Wirtz has managed just one assist and is still searching for his first goal.

It raises the obvious question of why the same player who excels for Germany can struggle so much at Liverpool. Context tells the real story.

For starters, Wirtz is not some unstoppable force every time he pulls on the Germany shirt. He failed to find the net as Germany suffered an embarrassing round of 32 exit to Paraguay at the World Cup and was barely noticeable in last weekend's loss to Greece. Now that he has shone in black and white, the quality of his opposition must be taken into account.

Serbia are in poor form. The side that failed to qualify for the biggest World Cup in history is on a five-game losing run, having conceded at least two goals in each of those defeats.

Wirtz Stats for Germany vs. Serbia

Stats via FotMob.

"The opposition gave us more room because they were somewhat disorganized and perhaps looked to hit us on the break more," Wirtz conceded, inadvertently undermining his own display by acknowledging the poor quality of the side that allowed him to glide through their defense repeatedly. "That opened up more space which we used to good effect."

"What do I need to be at my best?" Wirtz laughed. "Ideally, plenty of space in every game so I can do what I like!" That simply is not a luxury afforded in the Premier League.

Wirtz scored his goal on Thursday with the most delicate of touches, sending Serbia's Babić lunging past the ball with all the misdirection of a fire engine racing to the wrong address. But should that come with a caveat?

The 30-year-old centre-back has spent the last three years plying his trade in Russia, having joined Spartak Moscow following relegation from La Liga with Almería. Wirtz is unlikely to encounter a defender anywhere near as error-prone in the Premier League, which goes some way to explaining his difficulty in scoring in the competition.

What Can Liverpool Take From Wirtz's Germany Form?

Despite all the quirks of international football, there was perhaps one quality which Andoni Iraola could look to harness in order to get the best out of Wirtz: positional freedom.

This season, Liverpool's No. 7 has largely been confined to the left flank (as illustrated in the heat map above). But Wirtz is a player who flourishes when given freedom of movement. For Germany against Serbia, he was granted license to drift across the full width of the attacking third, probing for weaknesses in the disjointed seams of the opposition's defensive line.

"The players around me also made things very easy for me today," Wirtz said. "There was a lot of movement in our play, and we were all eager to express ourselves. That makes it easier to stand out."

Nick Woltemade is a striker who naturally drops deep from the frontline, creating and filling spaces for Wirtz to exploit. His Liverpool teammate Alexander Isak is more of a static reference point, preferring to stay within the penalty area to ensure he is best placed to score.

Wirtz revealed that Klopp "wants me to play the kind of football people are used to seeing from me." Liverpool supporters would welcome a shift from the current approach, but that will only materialise if others at the club are also prepared to adjust their game — and if the Reds begin facing significantly weaker opposition.