27 Sept 2026 11:35 BST |
2 min read
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Germany defender Jonathan Tah has leaped to the defence of Florian Wirtz amid “extreme” criticism of his form for Liverpool.
Wirtz has found it difficult to live up to the deserved hype that surrounded his €125million (£116m) move from Bayer Leverkusen in June 2025.
Despite recording a respectable seven goals and 11 assists for Liverpool last season, more was expected from a player who sparkled in the Bundesliga.
And with just one assist to his name so far this season, Sky Sports pundit and Reds legend Jamie Carragher believes Wirtz should be dropped.
However, Wirtz has received the backing of his former Leverkusen team-mate Tah, with the pair having reunited during the international break.
Centre-back Tah has hit out at what he perceives to be unfair “attacks” on Wirtz, who he believes will light up the Premier League in due course.
“I find it pretty extreme the way he’s been attacked,” Tah said ahead of Germany’s Nations League clash with Greece today (Sunday, 27 September).
“I know the kind of player he is and that he’s going to shine even more. I know what he’s capable of and eventually, everyone will understand.”
New Germany boss Klopp also defends Wirtz form
Wirtz has also received encouraging words from new Germany boss and former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
Klopp insists context must be applied when discussing the form of Wirtz, who joined Liverpool at a difficult time following the death of Diogo Jota.
Jota, a beloved figure in the Liverpool dressing room, passed away alongside his brother Andre Silva in a car crash in Spain in July 2025.
“When you look at the full context, you will find that Florian joined Liverpool at an absolutely unfavourable time related to the death of Diogo Jota,” said Klopp.
“He joined a team whose players’ priority at that time was not football, which is very understandable.
“He learned a lot from his first year. Now there is a new season under the leadership of a new coach (Andoni Iraola).
“He is delivering a very good level physically, and the team has begun to regain its cohesion once again.
“Attacking players always need a team that works well around them. And anyone who loves football can still see how outstanding Florian Wirtz is as a player.”
Wirtz will hope to raise his confidence by starring for Germany in their upcoming fixtures against Greece, Serbia and Greece again across September and October.
He will then return to Liverpool ahead of their mouth-watering Premier League clash against Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday, 11 October.
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