Wirtz can turn Isak into Benteke for Liverpool vs Man City in Klopp-defining change

“He is a complete offensive player. He can play each position. [It was] a big difference and he needed to adapt to his new situation, this new pressure. I know him very well from Germany so he does not have to show something special to me because I know everything about him and his qualities.”

Jurgen Klopp’s thoughts on Liverpool’s creative spark, not Florian Wirtz after their first opportunity to work together on international duty in the last three weeks, but in November 2015 on the back of his first landmark win, over Manchester City, having just replaced Brendan Rogers as Reds boss, in which Roberto Firmino announced himself as a Premier League star.

Firmino got a goal and an assist in what was just his second game playing in the false nine position he would make his own at Anfield. He had previously been stuck out on the right wing under Rogers to accommodate Christian Benteke, whose brief Liverpool career was effectively ended by Firmino that day.

In what has become the side note of all side notes ahead of what could well be the most-watched game in Premier League history as the Anfield crowd prepares its banners, chants and boos for the arrival of the stain on English football, Wirtz could be set to play the Firmino role for Liverpool in the absence of Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Hugo Ekitike.

There have been innumerable articles of a similar vein in the last few days: ‘Jurgen Klopp shows Andoni Iraola how to get the best out of Florian Wirtz‘; ‘Klopp hands Iraola the Wirtz blueprint’; ‘How to judge Florian Wirtz: Klopp reminded us the truth of Liverpool form’.

He got a goal and an assist in Germany’s 2-0 win over Serbia before being handed the captain’s armband for their 0-0 draw with Greece; by all accounts he showed something close to the quality which encouraged Liverpool to spend £100m to secure his services just over a year ago while playing up front in a 4-4-2, which gave him freedom he’s not afforded in the Premier League.

Klopp said Wirtz was “bursting with joy” after what was an “exceptional” display for his country and while Andoni Iraola is unlikely to use Wirtz in the same formation as his predecessor, his forward injury crisis does present a golden opportunity to test Wirtz in the Firmino role.

“It’s definitely not something I wanted from this international break but we can’t control it,” Iraola said in response to the injuries to Gakpo and Isak. “It is what it is. We can’t change it so we have to adapt.

“It’s a bad thing for us, definitely, because both of them have been prolific forwards at the start of the season but the good thing when you coach Liverpool is you still have very good players available.

“I trust the players we have ready to go. It’s also a good moment for those players to step up, to add good numbers and good performances while we recover Cody and Alex.”

That’s a call to arms aimed more at Wirtz than Bradley Barcola, Rio Ngumoha or Victor Munoz, all of whom are also in line to start in a cobbled-together Liverpool front three, but also have viable excuses for failing to achieve “good numbers” to far that season, whether that be age, playing time or a reasonable period of adaptation.

Wirtz has no such excuses.

Criticism for a stray pass is met with apathy from his disciples who cite what are his very good chance creation stats, while praise for a tidy turn or neat flick leads his detractors to mock seven goals and 11 assists in 55 Liverpool appearances.

The reality is a Liverpool playmaker has got to be making a more tangible difference than Wirtz; particularly when the midfield trio of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai who excelled in the 2024/25 title-winning season are still in situ.

On Sunday we could see that trio re-united and Wirtz playing ahead of them with a more clearly-defined and clean message as to what’s expected of him: be free, create and score.

A standout performance with the eyes of the world upon him could be what finally ignites his Liverpool career and leave Isak in the mud as the club’s new Christian Benteke.