Jurgen Klopp told Andoni Iraola how Liverpool can supercharge Florian Wirtz

Jurgen Klopp believes Florian Wirtz is most impactful operating in the half-spaces for Germany.

The former Liverpool manager did note that the attacking midfielder could play out wide, but should be encouraged to move back into the half-spaces when in possession.

The 23-year-old played every minute of the DFB Team’s last two Nations League fixtures against Greece and Serbia.

Where Florian Wirtz thrives for Germany he should also thrive for Liverpool

(Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

For a player being attacked on almost all sides in England, there’s nothing more reassuring than a Jurgen Klopp having your back while out on international duty.

The German had some interesting thoughts too regarding Wirtz’s best position for Germany: “We have to look at where he is most valuable for us, and that is definitely in the half-spaces. There’s no question about that.

“He can also play out wide, but as soon as we have the ball, he should move back into the half-spaces. That’s definitely where he feels most comfortable.

“For Flo, the left half-space would be the perfect position. For his goal, he moved into the centre, and that’s exactly where he needs to be as well.”

Not quite fully wide so as to be potentially isolated out on the flanks, but close enough to the heart of the pitch where Klopp feels Wirtz carries the most amount of threat when Germany have the ball.

And it’s difficult to dispute the notion that this is where the former Bayer Leverkusen star can be similarly most impactful at club level for Liverpool.

Of course, this will depend greatly on other cogs in the machine doing their part to create space for our No.7 to work in.

How did Wirtz get on against Greece?

Following up on an awesome display against Serbia, Florian Wirtz attracted yet more praise for his performance against Greece on Sunday.

And rightly so, we might add, from a surface-level glance at his match stats (via FotMob):

• 90 minutes
• 3 chances created
• 8 touches in opposition box
• 4/5 successful dribbles
• 9 passes into final third
• 8 recoveries
• 5/7 ground duels won

Liverpool must follow suit in the Premier League

(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

You get the sense that Andoni Iraola is very much in agreement on how to get the best out of Wirtz in England, judging by where the footballer is showing up most often on the pitch.

(Florian Wirtz’s heatmaps for Germany vs Greece (left) and Liverpool in the Premier League (right) – Imagery via FotMob)

We can see our playmaker is finding himself pushed out wide for the most part in 2026/27, when his heatmap should ideally reflect more central play.

Now, we know there are a number of mitigating factors that are contributing to this, and, ultimately, Wirtz’s limited influence at Liverpool.

First of all, it’s far from helpful for Liverpool’s midfield and the German international to not be supported by midfielders who like to stay behind the ball. This is most pronounced when Andoni Iraola is forced to pick Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch in his double pivot, which squeezes the space our record midfield signing has to operate in and leaves us wide open in the middle of the park.

READ MORE: After Lamine Camara: BBC say Liverpool “hold an interest” in athletic fit for midfield pivot

Secondly, while Liverpool have arguably brought in elite quality in Bradley Barcola, it’s evident the forward line will take time to click following the arrivals of the Frenchman and Victor Munoz. Not to mention the fact that we’re still lacking a naturally right-sided, left-footed winger in the aftermath of Mo Salah’s exit.

Despite Iraola’s best efforts, this remains a wildly unbalanced squad, and it’s not helping get the best out of Florian Wirtz.