German Media Come to New Florian Wirtz Verdict as Slovakia Footage Goes Viral
German outlets have spoken out about Florian Wirtz following his recent performance for the national team against Slovakia.
In just four days, the Premier League and other top leagues across the world will resume following the final international break ahead of a busy festive schedule.
Over the past week, several of the top European nations have been competing in their final qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup, set to be hosted across the United States of America, Mexico and Canada.
Following their 2-0 away win over Luxembourg, Germany put themselves in pole position to top the group and secure automatic qualification from Group A, with a dominant 6-0 thrashing of Slovakia sealing their place in the World Cup.
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Immediately after the win over Slovakia, the German media published their reports, and it appears they all share an opinion on the performance of Liverpool's Wirtz.
After several impressive seasons in the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen, Wirtz arrived at Liverpool back in June for a record fee of £116million.
Since then, the midfielder has failed to find his footing within Arne Slot's squad, leading to harsh criticism online from both fans and pundits both in England and Germany.
But after Wirtz played a key role in Germany's one-sided match with Slovakia, it appears that the German media have changed their mind as they praised Liverpool's star player for his contributions.
"Florian Wirtz left his doppelganger in England this time," claimed German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung.
"Ah, good to see you again, Mr. Wirtz, we've missed you! For weeks it wasn't even clear whether it was Florian Wirtz or a bewildered doppelganger on the pitch in Liverpool and the national team.
"In Leipzig, the original was back: technique, turns, crosses, passes, two beautiful assists before Leroy Sané's goals – everything was back to normal, just like the player who cost a fortune this summer.
"He even provided arguments for being named Man of the Match without scoring himself. If Julian Nagelsmann wants to achieve his goal (the title) at the World Cup, he needs exactly this Wirtz."
Fellow newspaper Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ) agreed, praising Wirtz and teammate Leroy Sane, who scored a brace in the match with the Liverpool midfielder providing both assists.
They wrote: "For Wirtz, struggling at Liverpool, and Sane returning to the German national team, this half-time match was balm for the soul after many debates in recent weeks."
However, not all outlets were totally sold by Wirtz's performance as 90 Plus claimed that the mental difficulty of his lacklustre start at Liverpool was evident, writing: "The Liverpool star's current crisis at the club was evident; he didn't initially exude much confidence.
"However, he improved steadily and played a crucial role in the 4-0 halftime lead with two excellent assists for Sané (36th, 41st minute). He was hard-working defensively and deserved a goal of his own."
Topics: Florian Wirtz, Liverpool, Germany, Football, Bundesliga, Premier League
Ben McCrum