{
  "id": 10418800,
  "title": "“He is simply world-class” – Völler comes to Wirtz's defence amid Liverpool criticism",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/he-is-simply-world-class-voller-comes-to-wirtzs-defence-amid",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-28T10:15:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/simply-world-class-v-ller-101500751.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Florian Wirtz, who joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen over a year ago, continues to face high expectations at Anfield. Following the international break, the 23-year-old has received significant criticism from English media for his recent performances. However, Germany sporting director Rudi Völler remains confident in Wirtz's abilities and potential. \"He has been over there for a year now, and the English media are even more critical. I see a player who is doing everything he can to bring his exceptional qualities to the pitch in England as well. Flo is still young, and he is simply world-class,\" Völler stated in an interview with Bild am Sonntag. Völler is certain that Wirtz will become a crucial, central player for the Germany national team in upcoming tournaments. After being substituted off during Germany's 0-1 loss to Greece on Sunday, Wirtz is anticipated to start against Serbia on Thursday as the team aims for a much-needed victory.",
  "summary": "More than a year after joining Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen, Florian Wirtz is still struggling to live up to the high expectations at Anfield.Heading into the international break, the 23-year-old c...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}