"You all will eat your words if you use the wrong words about Florian Wirtz." Jurgen Klopp said that in October. Now he's about to inherit the problem himself.
The German Football Association (DFB) confirmed on Friday that they'll hold talks with Klopp about taking over as national team manager, following Julian Nagelsmann's resignation after Germany's penalty shootout exit to Paraguay in the round of 32. A clause in Klopp's Red Bull contract specifically allows him to take the Germany job — so this isn't speculation. It's a formality in the making.
Wirtz's difficult first year at Liverpool
Which means Klopp is about to become responsible, at least at international level, for the player he's spent the last year publicly defending. Wirtz's debut Premier League season was quietly poor by the standards his £115 million price tag demanded — seven goals, eight assists in 49 appearances under Arne Slot, who was himself sacked in May and replaced by Andoni Iraola. Liverpool finished without retaining the title. Wirtz was supposed to be the difference-maker.
Klopp never wavered publicly. When Wirtz was struggling to adapt, Klopp told RTL: "I don't have to worry about Florian Wirtz because his quality is so outstanding." He called him "a once-in-a-century talent." Strong words to stand behind when the assists aren't coming and your former club is sacking your successor.
But here's what's interesting: Klopp's most recent comments, made as a pundit at the World Cup for Magenta, actually show tactical clarity rather than blind loyalty. Analysing Germany's win over Ivory Coast, he was specific about how to use Wirtz: "If you really want Flo Wirtz to get into a rhythm... give him the ball. He shouldn't drop back and get the ball from his own penalty area."
What this means for Wirtz — and Liverpool's odds
That's a coach who has clearly been thinking about how to deploy him. Whether Liverpool under Iraola figures out the same thing is a separate question — and an open one heading into next season. If Wirtz continues to underperform domestically while thriving under Klopp at international level, it will raise uncomfortable questions about the club's ability to use him properly.
For now, Klopp is in talks. The job looks like his. And the player he's spent a year vouching for is waiting on the other side of that conversation.
