Wirtz scored Germany’s second goal in their 2-0 Nations League victory over Serbia in Munich, securing Klopp’s first win as national-team head coach in his third match in charge.
The 23-year-old had also been involved in Tom Bischof’s opener, producing the kind of influential display that has been missing from his early Liverpool performances.
Klopp was particularly pleased with the way Wirtz responded to the demands of the international break and the criticism that had followed his club form.
“The way we want to play suits Flo Wirtz,” Klopp said. “I think everyone in Liverpool is very happy today. The boy is brimming with joy in his play and has worked incredibly hard.”
The Germany manager had already spoken publicly in Wirtz’s defence before the Serbia match. He argued that the midfielder’s Liverpool adaptation had taken place against an unusually difficult backdrop.
“When you look at the full context, you will find that Florian joined Liverpool at an absolutely unfavourable time related to the death of Diogo Jota,” Klopp said.
“He joined a team whose players' priority at that time was not football, which is very understandable. He learned a lot from his first year. Now there is a new season under the leadership of a new coach.”
Wirtz’s arrival at Liverpool carried enormous expectations after his move from Bayer Leverkusen, but his first weeks at the club have not produced the consistent attacking influence expected of a player who cost a reported £116 million.
His display against Bournemouth before the international break drew particular criticism, with Jamie Carragher describing it as one of the poorest performances he had seen from Wirtz in a Liverpool shirt.
Klopp has taken a broader view of the situation, pointing to the player’s physical condition and the importance of the team around him.
“He is delivering a very good level physically, and the team has begun to regain its cohesion once again,” Klopp said. “Attacking players always need a team that works well around them.”
The Serbia game offered Wirtz a chance to answer some of the doubts surrounding him without needing to force the issue. His goal and involvement in Bischof’s opener gave Germany the cutting edge their dominance deserved.
Klopp now has another international fixture against Greece on Sunday before Wirtz returns to Liverpool, where the focus will turn back to his club form.
For Liverpool, the significance of the Germany performance is less about one international match than the possibility that Wirtz has found the confidence and freedom to begin influencing games in the way expected when he arrived at Anfield.