Florian Wirtz has spoken with the media about the Liverpool squad behind the scenes and how they are preparing and looking forward to the challenge of next season.
This season has been a difficult one for Wirtz and for Liverpool as a whole, as they will be aiming for a result against Brentford to guarantee Champions League football.
Wirtz’s interview comes in the context of this difficult season after he signed for £100 million last summer, which could rise to £116 million with potential add-ons.
This game on Sunday will also see the Anfield exit of Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah, who took to social media to criticise the style of play this season. This was something that Arne Slot had to respond to throughout his pre-match press conference.
The disappointment of 2025/26
The consistent message from players, fans and Slot is that this season hasn’t been good enough. A win for Liverpool against Brentford could potentially see them rise as high as fourth. A win would see Liverpool finish on 62 points, while they won the league with 84 points last season.
Wirtz commented, “We are all anything but happy with this season. I think we can still make a little bit out of it by qualifying for the Champions League on Sunday. We have to do that. Then in the summer, we need to clear our heads and attack next season, because we have a very good squad and we can do much better.”
For Wirtz and fans, the circumstances of the loss of Diogo Jota will make it understandable that there has been a disappointing season. Wirtz said it was clear when he arrived how deeply impacted many players were. Robertson commented earlier this week on how deeply preseason preparations were affected by the loss of their best mate.
Dressing room noise
A lot was made in the media and on social media after the post by Mohamed Salah last week. Wirtz insists that in the Liverpool training complex, the team are united and rubbished any rumours that the team are not behind the manager.
“The outside world is always trying to create something between the team and the manager. But it’s totally different in this building. We are working well every day with this manager and his staff. There is no thought about not being behind the manager. This is just something (talked about) on the outside.”
Responding to criticism and building for next year
Wirtz joined Liverpool with a lot of pressure hanging over his head. The price tag and the idea that he had to perform at the top level in a new league was going to be difficult for a young player.
Wirtz commented on this pressure, saying, “I’d never really experienced it before. I just tried to work hard on myself and get better to ensure I could have more influence on games. When I look back, it’s not a season I’m just sad about. I could learn a lot and adapt to a new country and a new league.”
ReadLiverpoolFC verdict
Florian Wirtz was a signing that excited a lot of Liverpool fans, and while we haven’t seen the best of him yet, we are hopeful that we will get to see his best going forward.
The media pressure is different to Germany, and it’s good to see that he recognises the difficulty he has faced physically and is working in his own way to deal with this.
I hope the comments on the united dressing room behind the manager are true. In my experience, Liverpool are not a club that give rid of coaches like others. We pick the right man and back him to turn things around. Liverpool have the talent to compete again next season. We hope Florian Wirtz is at the centre of that.
