‘Liverpool will be happy’ – Wirtz ‘brimming with joy’, says Klopp

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Jurgen Klopp reckons those involved at his former club, Liverpool, will be thrilled with Florian Wirtz’s performances for Germany.

Wirtz scored in Germany’s 2-0 win over Serbia in the Nations League on Thursday.

The playmaker also leads the way within Germany’s squad for chances created (six) over this international break.

Wirtz has had a tough time of it at Liverpool since his mega-money switch from Bayer Leverkusen, and his performances this season have seen him come in for criticism.

However, the 23-year-old is the only player to rank in the top 10 in the Premier League this season for each of: High-intensity pressures in the opponent’s half (181, joint-seventh), runs ahead of the ball (34, first) and defensive line-breaking passes (16, eighth).

And Klopp feels Wirtz hit his stride against Serbia.

“The way we want to play suits Flo Wirtz,” Klopp said.

“I think everyone [at] Liverpool is very happy today. The boy is brimming with the joy of playing and has worked incredibly hard.”

Germany were dominant, with Serbia managing just one shot, worth only 0.01 expected goals.

Klopp’s team, meanwhile, accumulated chances worth 3.81 xG and had 32 shots.

Germany recorded 20 high turnovers, their most ever in a Nations League game and also more than in any match under Julian Nagelsmann.

They have allowed an average of just 8.7 opponent passes across their first three Nations League matches before a defensive action occurred. It is the lowest PPDA value of all teams in League A.

Asked what he enjoyed about the performance, Klopp said: “Everything! The opening stages, the middle part, the ending.

“The positioning in the box was incredible. To have that courage and know that we can allow ourselves to be cheeky and take risks if we win the ball back together.

“Everyone was there in our pressing moments. The last line defended really well by pushing up.

“Without the ball, it was outstanding, and with the ball, we played wonderful football. That has to be our baseline. Whether we can always manage that remains to be seen. This game will go into my archive. The next step in our development. We are learning. Learning under pressure.”

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