‘Led by example’ – What German media said about Florian Wirtz in captaining his country on Sunday

Florian Wirtz had the honour of captaining Germany for the first time as his country drew 0-0 with Greece in the UEFA Nations League on Sunday.

The Liverpool playmaker was initially earmarked to play only in the Nationalmannschaft’s final two games of the international window, but injuries forced Jurgen Klopp to abandon those plans and use him in three of their four matches.

The 23-year-old earned his 48th cap for his nation in Thessaloniki last night, although it was his first with the armband as the former Reds boss entrusted him with that significant responsibility.

What did German media say about Wirtz?

The consensus among German media was that Wirtz started strongly against Greece but faded as the match went on, with our number 7 ranking in the middle of the 1-6 player ratings scale (1 best, 6 worst) used in his homeland.

Focus opined that he was ‘agile, clever and effective defensively’, albeit that he became ‘less noticeable’ in the second half, awarding him a rating of 3.

Stefan Kumberger of Sport1 wrote that the Liverpool star ‘truly led by example’ in captaining his country and was heavily involved in Germany’s attacking play in the first half, although his overall performance was described as ‘inconsistent’ in another 3 rating.

Sportschau writer Volker Schulte noted ‘some fine moments’ in an ‘industrious’ display from Wirtz, but again highlighted a drop-off in influence after the interval.

(Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

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Wirtz was industrious in attack for Germany on Sunday

The 23-year-old has been slated by the likes of Jamie Carragher for his performances at club level in the early weeks of the season, but while he didn’t quite have a starring role against Greece, there were still a few positive aspects from him on Sunday night.

The figures below from Sofascore illustrate the attacking influence that Wirtz exerted, even if his team couldn’t find a route to goal.

Liverpool’s number 7 will now have almost a full week to recharge before next Sunday’s blockbuster clash against Manchester City at Anfield, the first of nine games in 29 days for the Reds as the club season becomes turbocharged following the international window.

The German has been given a rough ride by large segments of the anglophone media, but if he were to play a starring role in L4 next weekend, that’d go some way to silencing his critics.

If a coach as iconic as Klopp sees it fitting to hand him the armband for his country – one of the most decorated and pressurised in world football – that’ll most certainly do for us as an endorsement of the playmaker’s quality.