Jurgen Klopp sends message to Liverpool fans over Florian Wirtz criticism | Football

Jurgen Klopp has defended Florian Wirtz’s performances for Liverpool and claims the midfielder joined Anfield ‘at the worst possible moment’.

Wirtz was signed in a £116 million deal from Bayer Leverkusen last year but struggled to make an impact in his first season at Liverpool with seven goals and nine assists in 48 appearances.

Under Andoni Iraola this season, Wirtz has still been unable to become a major influence in Liverpool’s attack and has registered just one assist in six games so far.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has called for Iraola to drop Wirtz for the team’s next Premier League game against Manchester City on October 11.

Klopp is now managing Wirtz for Germany’s national team and the former Liverpool manager believes the death of Diogo Jota in July last year made it a difficult environment for the midfielder to begin his Premier League career.

‘Regarding the whole story, what is spoken in Liverpool and England in general, that would go far too far and create headlines that we definitely do not want to create right now. No matter what I would say, positive or negative, it would be a huge story in this case. There’s absolutely no reason for it,’ Klopp said at the press conference with Germany’s national team on Saturday.

‘I can say that Flo Wirtz’s footballing abilities are beyond any doubt.

‘We will work together on making sure he can show them on the pitch again every three days. We will absolutely try whatever we can contribute towards that. In general, I think he is on the right track. But the world we live in is basically such that things never move quickly enough for people.

‘If you want to see the overall context, then there is something you can certainly say about it because it has nothing to do with the immediate situation. Flo arrived in Liverpool at the worst possible moment.

‘By that I do not mean that Liverpool won the title the year before but rather the tragic death of Diogo Jota. He came into a team with an incredible number of players for whom football, at that moment, had quite understandably dropped down the list of priorities. Then you come along as a new player and everyone immediately looks for someone to pull their chestnuts out of the fire. That is simply impossible.

What Jamie Carragher has said about Florian Wirtz

‘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.

‘And I was worried for Wirtz probably 12 months ago. And maybe that was a little bit early to say that, but I didn’t say it. It was just in the back of my head.

‘I commentated on Liverpool away at Burnley and Liverpool won with a late penalty from Mo Salah. And when I was watching that game it was what I’ve seen for the last 12 months: I don’t see how he’s going to hurt you. It’s just neat and tidy. And in some way, the price tag for that type of player should be half of what Liverpool have paid.

‘The worry for Wirtz now is that his performances so far, or what he’s given Liverpool, is so low. Where we were expecting him was to take Liverpool to another league title, to take Liverpool to a Champions League.

‘The gap he’s got to get to almost justify what people were expecting, I almost think is too big. You can’t get there. Even if he improves a bit and gets there, it’s still not what Liverpool thought they were getting.’

(Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher Podcast, September 2026)

‘This year has passed and he has certainly learned a lot. Now we are in a new season with a new manager. I believe he played all of the games, apart from the League Cup, from the start, he is in very good physical condition.

‘The team are now in the process of finding their footing again after many changes. I’ll say it again, attacking players always need a functioning team that takes care of everything around them. When you are always in the spotlight, it is not easy. I have already said far too much about it now. I hope I have remained general enough.”

‘It was simply a very unfortunate constellation. But everyone who loves football can still see what an exceptional player he is. We cannot do more than integrate him into our team with enough training time and give him confidence, a good feeling and ideally positive experiences step by step, and then send him back to Liverpool.’

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