Florian Wirtz revived as Jürgen Klopp’s embrace lifts Liverpool forward before Greece test | OneFootball

Florian Wirtz rediscovered his spark in Germany’s 2-0 win over Serbia on Thursday after months of struggle for club and country, with Jürgen Klopp’s backing to the fore. According to L'Équipe, the 23-year-old Liverpool forward’s resurgence comes as Germany travel to Greece on Sunday night.

He first crashed a shot off the post that led to the opening goal, then scored himself to complete a standout display.

Cameras caught Klopp embracing Wirtz at length, a flurry of hugs and back slaps that lip-readers could not decode and which the player said he could not precisely recall. The exchange, more than words, underlined the manager’s approval.

Wirtz said their relationship is building, and that Klopp wants him to play the football people expect from him, the sharp passing, evasion and dribbling that lit up Leverkusen. That edge had dulled in recent months after his record €136m move to the Reds in summer 2025, a burden he seemed to carry.

In his news conference on Thursday, Klopp suggested everyone at Liverpool should be pleased, noting that many English Reds fans likely tuned in and saw a radiant youngster working incredibly hard.

After a difficult last season with fewer decisive moments, Wirtz appears to be regaining confidence under Klopp’s arm-around-the-shoulder approach. With Joshua Kimmich and Serge Gnabry out in Greece, he should start again and could even wear the armband, having taken it when Gnabry went off against Serbia. The coach believes he can become the Nationalmannschaft’s leading weapon.

Source: L'Équipe

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