‘Very good for us’ – Jurgen Klopp has done something ‘very smart’ and Andoni Iraola loves it
· Yahoo Sports
Andoni Iraola has welcomed Jurgen Klopp’s decision to divide his Germany squad into two groups for the upcoming international break.
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The former Liverpool manager has called up 44 players for his country’s four UEFA Nations League matches over the next fortnight, although those have been split across the first two games and the second couple.
Florian Wirtz is included for the latter, with the Reds’ number 7 earmarked to play against Serbia on 1 October and Greece three days later, so he’ll have an extended break after his club’s match against Bournemouth this afternoon.
Iraola welcomes Klopp’s split-squad decision
Iraola has unsurprisingly praised Klopp’s decision to divide the squad in this way so that the LFC playmaker will have a good rest after today’s fixture at the Vitality Stadium.
The 44-year-old said (via Liverpool Echo): “Will Klopp help him at Germany? Yes, and starting from this international break he has done something which I think is very smart. He has picked two squads and he will see more players and also it will give the players some time off.
“I think in cases such as Flo, who will have some days to rest in the first part of the break, that will be very good for us, the player, for Liverpool and also for the German national team. I think he is very smart with what he has done.”
(Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
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Klopp’s approach should help Wirtz and Liverpool
With the previous September and October international breaks now being combined into one extended window transcending both months, it’ll be interesting to see what effect that has on players’ fitness later in the autumn.
Many of those called up will have four games with their country until the resumption of the club season in three weeks’ time, but Klopp’s split-squad approach should theoretically help the Germany players to be more refreshed once they return to their clubs.
Wirtz has already played 423 minutes for Liverpool in the first month of the season, although he did sit out the midweek Carabao Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur, prior to which he’d been ever-present other than the final 27 minutes of the 2-2 draw at Newcastle four weeks ago (Transfermarkt).
When he comes back from international duty, he’ll face into a hectic period of nine matches in 29 days with the Reds, when Iraola’s squad management expertise will be severely tested.
For all the criticism he’s faced in England, the 23-year-old has been quite productive for Germany, with four goals and seven assists in 14 games for his country since September of last year.
That record suggests that he could well return to Liverpool buoyed by making a telling impact on the international scene, in the hope that he can replicate it for his club throughout the remainder of the season.