Jurgen Klopp sends message to Liverpool fans over Florian Wirtz criticism

Jurgen Klopp says Florian Wirtz’s ability is ‘beyond any doubt’

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.

Jamie Carragher has called for Andoni Iraola to drop Florian Wirtz (Allstar via Getty)

‘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.

‘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.