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Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann has expressed confidence that Liverpool midfielder Florian Wirtz will soon make his mark in the Premier League, despite a slow start to his Anfield career.
Speaking in Belfast ahead of Monday’s 2026 World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland, Nagelsmann described Wirtz’s early struggles as “normal” and predicted the 20-year-old would quickly adapt and deliver goals and memorable moments for his new club.
“I have no concerns. He’ll adapt very quickly and score goals for Liverpool,” Nagelsmann said. “He’ll create a lot of lovely moments at Anfield.”
Since joining Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer for £100 million, Wirtz has yet to register a goal or assist in nine Premier League and Champions League appearances.
Nagelsmann added he hoped Wirtz could kick-start his revival with a goal for Germany in Belfast, saying it “would be good for him and for us.”
Germany’s national side, meanwhile, aims to recover from an early stumble in their World Cup qualifying campaign.
After suffering a shock 2-0 defeat to Slovakia, they bounced back with a 3-1 win over Northern Ireland in Cologne and followed that with a controlled 4-0 victory against Luxembourg on Friday, aided by playing against ten men for much of the match.
Nagelsmann cautioned that qualifying is a step-by-step process, noting, “We lost a game, and in World Cup qualifications, you don’t get that many. We’ll try and get the three points. We won’t make it to the World Cup tomorrow, but we can put ourselves in a good situation.”
Germany and Northern Ireland currently share the top of Group A alongside Slovakia, each with six points from two wins. Luxembourg occupy last place after three defeats.
Northern Ireland, which last qualified for a World Cup in 1986, will be without captain Conor Bradley, who is suspended for Monday’s match.
Buoyed by their surprise 2-0 win over Slovakia, Northern Ireland coach Michael O’Neill expressed confidence in his team’s chances.
“You could say it was one of our best performances, but I think we can do even better,” he said. “We’ve got the opportunity now to do what Slovakia did, and we have to aspire to do that.”
