Football just has not felt the same with Jurgen Klopp watching from the sidelines.
The legendary former Liverpool boss has never been far from the action, and has been closer than ever this summer during his work as a German television pundit during the World Cup, but the game has missed his energy and personality from the inside.
Thankfully, Klopp‘s absence looks set to be capped at two years, with news gathering pace that the 59-year-old will take over from Julian Nagelsmann as manager of the German national team.
How does Andoni Iraola fit Wirtz and Isak into Liverpool’s starting XI next season?
Will we finally see the best of them after encouraging World Cups?
Nagelsmann resigned on Friday morning after a dreadful World Cup saw his team knocked out by Paraguay in the last-32.
Klopp is the overwhelming favourite to replace him, and that is likely to be brilliant news for Florian Wirtz, who is surely set to benefit from a sprinkling of Jurgen’s magic.
Wirtz will shine under Klopp
Despite generally looking a little sluggish in the USA, Canada and Mexico, Wirtz was still one of Germany’s better players, and even managed to pick up three assists.
Klopp knows how good the Liverpool No. 7 is, having raved about him in the months following his arrival at Anfield.
“With Florian Wirtz, I simply don’t have to worry because his quality is so outstanding,” he said in October 2025, after his countryman failed to hit the ground running with the Reds.
That mixed form continued for the rest of the campaign, and though Wirtz may be one of the players who most benefits from Andoni Iraola being installed as the new Liverpool head coach, this change at national team level could be even more crucial.
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In his best Liverpool teams, Klopp never had a player like Wirtz. However, he absolutely did want to keep Philippe Coutinho to build his Premier League and Champions League-winning team around.
Coutinho was excellent under Klopp, excelling while drifting centrally from the left, and that could provide the blueprint for how he uses Wirtz.
More than how he can release him tactically, though, Klopp’s biggest impact on the 23-year-old will likely be away from the pitch.
Nagelsmann is obviously a top coach and he put a lot of trust in Wirtz, but Klopp is on a whole new level in terms of man-management. The former Reds boss will make him feel on top of the world and encourage him to go out and play with freedom. That could be a priceless change of direction for the former Bayer Leverkusen superstar.
Klopp’s arrival has to benefit Liverpool
If Wirtz is released and back to playing something close to his best for his national team, then this will obviously help Liverpool as well.
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Part of the appeal for the Reds in bringing in Iraola is that he plays a similar style of football to Klopp. As a result, Wirtz should now be playing more or less the same way for club and country.
That continuity could be so important, and rather than seeing him look like a different player when he goes away with Germany, Liverpool fans will see the same Wirtz in the same position whenever he plays.
Getting Wirtz to hit his top level is one of the most crucial tasks for Iraola next season. Now that he is likely to be able to rely on Klopp’s help in doing that, the chances of success have shot up.
For Liverpool fans, it will just be brilliant to see one of the club’s most legendary modern figures return to the touchline where he belongs. But the added bonus of Jurgen unlocking one of their most enigmatic, and key players, means that this is now a mouth-watering prospect.
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