Florian Wirtz: A New Beginning at Liverpool
Florian Wirtz has barely broken sweat in pre-season, but he already sounds like a player reborn.
Back at Liverpool for only a couple of days, the German playmaker has thrown himself into Andoni Iraola’s first sessions and come away grinning.
“I just can say that the training is really fun,” Wirtz said. “I enjoyed every training [session]. We play a lot of games and possessions, and that’s exactly what I like. I just enjoyed it until now.”
For a player of his profile, that matters. Iraola has been clear: Wirtz will be used exclusively as a No. 10, not shunted out wide. A central role, responsibility between the lines, the game in front of him. It is exactly the kind of platform Liverpool hoped to build when they brought him from Bayer Leverkusen.
Last season, though, never truly caught fire.
“Of course I wasn’t happy at all (last year) — about the season, I mean,” he admitted. “I was not unhappy every day when I came to training, but I think we expected much more.”
Seven goals and 10 assists in his debut campaign is a solid return on paper, but Wirtz clearly feels there is another level waiting to be unlocked. Iraola’s arrival gives him the chance to hit it.
“I think we start from zero this season,” he said. “Also here with this training camp, it’s a new start. We have a lot of things to do better this season and I’m very excited for season two.”
A fresh start at club level is only half the story. On the international stage, Wirtz will now answer to Jurgen Klopp.
The former Liverpool manager has taken charge of Germany, linking Wirtz’s future to two of the most intense coaching figures in the modern game.
“It’s very, very cool that [Klopp is] there now,” Wirtz told club media. “I’ve not spoken to him yet but a lot of people here at the club told me about him, that he is a fantastic guy. All of Liverpool loves him. So, I’m very excited to meet him in a few months.”
The prospect is striking: Iraola shaping him daily at Kirkby, Klopp demanding the same aggression and creativity on the international stage. For a 21-year-old already trusted with the keys to Liverpool’s attack, it is a powerful combination.
He will not carry the burden alone. Just ahead of him, Alexander Isak is now fully fit and back in the fold, a focal point Iraola is eager to build around.
“I think he has come in a good place,” the new Liverpool boss said of Isak earlier this week. “I think he was good in the World Cup. I saw him comfortable. First training [sessions] here, I think I’ve seen a good version of Alex.
“Still, it’s very early because he has just started training, but I hope he can have some minutes against Leeds and build properly a proper pre-season.
“It’s not going to be very long but he will have three or four weeks of quality training, I hope, and we can put him in a good place because he is going to be massive for us this season.”
If Isak provides the cutting edge, Wirtz will be asked to provide the ammunition. And there may yet be more firepower around them. Liverpool remain interested in Bradley Barcola, with the PSG winger a live option on the flanks if a deal can be struck.
The picture is clear: a defined No. 10, a fit centre-forward, pace and width either side. Iraola wants his Liverpool side to play on the front foot, with the ball, with risk.
That is exactly the environment Wirtz craves. Last year felt like a sketch. This season, with a new manager, a new role and Klopp waiting for him on the international stage, the expectation is simple.
No more base level. No more hints of what he could become.
It is time for Florian Wirtz to run the show.
