Klopp leaves Liverpool star Florian Wirtz out against the Netherlands
Florian Wirtz is missing on Thursday, September 24, from the German squad when the DFB team faces the Netherlands. The 23‑year‑old Liverpool star is neither injured nor suspended, but new national team coach Jürgen Klopp has set up two separate squads for the intensive international match period. This leaves the question of why the playmaker is not in the first selection.
Two squads for the international match block
National team coach Jürgen Klopp has nominated two separate squads for the intensive international match period with four games within ten days. The first selection is intended for the away match against the Netherlands this evening and the home match against Greece on Sunday. The second squad will contest the duels with Serbia on October 1 and the return match in Greece on October 4.
In the first selection are, among others, goalkeeper Marc‑Andre ter Stegen (Ajax Amsterdam) and Alexander Nübel (Besiktas). The names in the first selection also include Hennes Behrens (FC Augsburg), Yann Aurel Bisseck (Inter Milan) and Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund). In midfield are Joshua Kimmich (FC Bayern) and Jamal Musiala (FC Bayern), while in attack Kai Havertz (FC Arsenal) and Karim Adeyemi (FC Barcelona) are deployed. Florian Wirtz is missing from this squad, although he is regarded as a highly gifted playmaker.
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Wirtz in the second selection
In the second selection, which is intended for the matches against Serbia and the later duel in Greece, Florian Wirtz (FC Liverpool) is back in midfield. The other midfield players include Aleksandar Pavlovic (FC Bayern) and Vitaly Janelt (FC Brentford). On the attacking side are Jonathan Burkardt (Eintracht Frankfurt) and Nick Woltemade (Juventus Turin). Thus Wirtz is expected to earn his 46th international cap on October 1.
So far Wirtz has scored eleven goals for the German national team. In the failed World Cup‑2026 he was a regular under the previous coach Julian Nagelsmann. The current selection does not mean that he is permanently excluded from the DFB team, but merely that he was not nominated for the first two matches.
Klopp justifies the selection
Klopp said at the press conference last week that the initial talks with the 23‑year‑old midfield magician were “very pleasant.” He emphasized that one must move away from the expectation that Wirtz always has to produce spectacular moments. “One must be satisfied that a Flo Wirtz plays a game in which he gives everything but does not have a goal involvement,” Klopp said. The beginning was marked by high expectations. The coach defended the star resolutely against criticism from the English media and stressed that he wants to give the youngster the feeling that his performance is more than satisfactory.