Jurgen Klopp has shown Liverpool fans a side to Florian Wirtz they definitely did not know about

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The international break had barely even begun when Jurgen Klopp set the tone for how he was going to deal with the growing issue of Florian Wirtz and his startling lack of form for Liverpool.“Florian Wirtz’s footballing abilities are beyond any doubt,” Klopp said in the build-up to his first match in charge. While the international break has given the likes of Florian Wirtz a chance to reset, Liverpool now look set to face Man City without some key stars.

As the search for leadership at Anfield following the exits of Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson, Klopp has shone a light on Wirtz as a surprise leadership candidate.Klopp leans into Wirtz’s leadershipDuring his time at Liverpool so far, Wirtz has not shown any kind of leadership qualities. The confidence and belief he puts into his players can take them to new heights and bring out qualities that may not have been previously visible.By giving Wirtz the armband – not once, but twice – the former Liverpool manager was telling him that he is his man, and whether it inspired him or not, the £116m man certainly looked like a better player than he has been showing recently.The one caveat here is that this was an incredibly youthful Germany team.

With 48 caps, the Liverpool man was the most experienced international in the team.Nevertheless, Klopp had a club captain in the side in David Raum, and given the RB Leipzig left-back has only eight appearances fewer than Wirtz for Germany, he would have been a natural choice. That should not matter, though, Klopp has hinted at a leadership plan for Wirtz, and as he looks to finally find himself at Liverpool, that can hopefully have a positive knock-on effect back at club level.