Wirtz Impresses for Germany Against Serbia Amid Liverpool Scrutiny
The short version
- Wirtz's goal against Serbia on Thursday circulated widely; he created it with a backheel before finishing past a closing defender.
- Liverpool paid €125m for the 23-year-old in summer 2025 after he won the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal with Bayer Leverkusen.
- His first Liverpool season ended fifth in the league with no trophies; this season he has one assist in 404 league minutes.
- Andoni Iraola says Wirtz should be held to the same standard as any squad member, while Jürgen Klopp and Wirtz both welcomed the Serbia showing.
- Wirtz wore the captain's armband and said the movement of his teammates made the game easy for him.
Clips of a backheel-created goal against Serbia circulated widely, refocusing attention on Florian Wirtz's struggle to match his Germany level at Liverpool.
Florian Wirtz drew plenty of attention with his display in Germany's game against Serbia on Thursday, and it quickly turned discussion back to his difficulties at Liverpool. The 23-year-old attacking midfielder produced the kind of quality that defined his Bundesliga career — the level that has eluded him in England.
Clips of his goal circulated widely after the match. To create the chance, Wirtz rolled the ball into position for himself with a backheel, escaped a defender charging toward him, and finished. The skill won admirers among supporters worldwide, though viewers in Germany had seen it from him many times before.
Wirtz built his reputation at Bayer Leverkusen, where the club captured both the Bundesliga title and the DFB Pokal with him in the side. Liverpool then spent €125m to sign him in summer 2025.
The Premier League has been far less kind. Wirtz has faced criticism at Anfield for performances viewed as short of that fee, and his first season with the club ran alongside a broadly poor campaign that ended with a fifth-place league finish and no trophies. Because the entire team underdelivered, many accepted that his first full season would be a struggle.
The current season has sharpened the scrutiny. Wirtz has produced one assist in 404 minutes of top-flight action and has yet to convince under manager Andoni Iraola, even though Liverpool have not lost a match.
Speaking before the international break, Iraola said Wirtz should be held to the same standard as anyone else in the squad, explaining that his usual yardstick is how the team performs with a given player on the field. The Spanish manager added that he thinks highly of the midfielder, that Wirtz understands what the team requires from him, and that he is looking to contribute in all areas.
Reaction to Thursday's match was warm. Jürgen Klopp said the team's way of playing fits what Wirtz does best, that there were plenty of happy people in Liverpool, and that the player has shown real enjoyment while working very hard. Wirtz, who wore the captain's armband, said leading the side filled him with pride; he described the match as hugely enjoyable, said the whole squad carried out the plan and got nearly everything right, and credited the movement and hunger of those around him for making his job easier.
Whether that display transfers to club football is now the open question. One explanation may be the company he keeps: with Germany, Wirtz lines up beside players whose passing outlets and off-the-ball runs open space for him. Another may lie within the player himself, since the stray errors and dips in focus he has shown at Liverpool could reflect a slow adjustment to the physical side and relentless demands of English football. The report closes by suggesting the Serbia performance should restore a confidence that badly needs restoring, with Klopp seen as the coach positioned to bring his best back out.
Up next, Germany travel to face Greece on Sunday, October 4 at 2:45 PM EDT at Toumba Stadium. Liverpool play a day earlier, visiting Manchester United on Saturday, October 3 at 8:30 AM EDT at Leigh Sports Village, with the match available on Paramount+.
