Jurgen Klopp has indirectly given advice to new Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola on how to get the best out of Florian Wirtz at Anfield.
The 23-year-old became the Reds’ first £100m+ signing 12 months ago when joining from Bayer Leverkusen and arrived in England with a glowing reputation, although he was subjected to unforgiving scrutiny during a 2025/26 season which saw him net just seven times in 49 appearances.
He’s currently involved at the World Cup with Germany, who’ve already gone one better than 2018 and 2022 by sealing progress to the knockout stage, and the legendary former Anfield boss has detailed how to maximise the potential of our number 7.
Speaking on analysis for Magenta Sport (via Liverpool Echo), Klopp’s advice on Wirtz was summarised in five simple words – ‘just give him the ball’.
The 59-year-old elaborated: “The important thing is that we involve him in the game. There were moments against Curacao when I thought, ‘Just give him the ball’ – not even because he was the best passing option, but because, as a team-mate, I want Flo Wirtz to feel good.
“If I were [Nico] Schlotterbeck, I’d just give him the ball five times for no particular reason and see what he does. If you really want Flo Wirtz to get into a rhythm, if you want the place to really be buzzing, then give him the ball, because that’s when the lad feels completely at home.”
Klopp added: “He can’t keep dropping back to his own penalty area, pick up the ball and do everything himself. We have to find situations where we can use him in those positions, because his positioning creates so much space for [Felix] Nmecha, for [Karim] Adeyemi, for everyone making runs into those areas.
“‘Sacrificing himself’ is completely the wrong word, but he puts himself at the service of the team. I really liked that.”
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Klopp’s advice of ‘just give him the ball’ mirrors that of Bastian Schweinsteiger from a few weeks ago, with Wirtz seemingly commanding a lot more respect in his homeland than he’s been afforded by many in England.
Liverpool fans may argue that Arne Slot didn’t help the 23-year-old by constantly shunting him between an attacking midfield and left-winger role in his first season at Anfield, rather than defining one clear position for him and giving him the scope to excel in that.
That’s something for Iraola to consider when he has our number 7 back from the World Cup later this summer, and while the German will obviously be expected to contribute to the collective effort off the ball, it’s important that he’s given the freedom to express his natural playmaking talents.
Wirtz could be all the better for having his first campaign in English football behind him, with the player now more attuned to the demands of the Premier League and hopefully able to truly take flight from next season onward.
Liverpool’s new head coach could do a lot worse than taking on board the advice from one of the club’s greatest ever managers.
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