Florian Wirtz produced a standout display for Germany under Jurgen Klopp, scoring and assisting in a UEFA Nations League win over Serbia, just days after struggling to find form at Liverpool.
Wirtz joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen last summer in a £116million move, but managed only 17 goal contributions across all competitions in his first season. After a slow start to the current campaign, pressure has begun to build on the playmaker at Anfield.
Klopp's Germany setup unlocks Wirtz
In one of his first matches as Germany manager, Klopp appeared to get the best out of Wirtz after just a handful of training sessions together. The former Liverpool boss gave Wirtz freedom to pull the strings, with Tom Bischof and Aleksandar Pavlovic providing the midfield base behind him.
Wirtz credited his teammates for the improvement, saying: “The players around me made things a lot easier for me today. There was so much movement around me and when I have that, it becomes much easier for me to shine.”
Klopp backs Wirtz to impress at Liverpool
Asked about Wirtz after the match, Klopp said: "He was bursting with joy and worked incredibly hard. That was exceptional; he played a fantastic game. Our style of play suits Flo Wirtz. I don't even know what Flo has to do right to make everyone happy. Everyone in Liverpool should be happy today."
The performance offers a blueprint for Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola, with Wirtz making the case for being the focal point of the team. Germany have one match left in the international break, facing Greece on Sunday after earlier draws against the Netherlands and a loss to Greece.
