Florian Wirtz says Liverpool FC’s 2025-26 campaign should be treated as a fresh start, insisting the Reds have “a lot of things to do better” as they move into life under Andoni Iraola.
The Liverpool midfielder has returned for pre-season and, after a difficult debut year by his own standards, he has made clear that the mood around the club has shifted. With a new head coach in place and training now underway, Wirtz is framing the season ahead as a chance to reset rather than dwell on what came before.
Wirtz said he felt “very good” and “very happy” to be back among the squad, adding that it was also good to meet Iraola and his staff. He described the sessions as enjoyable and said the work on the pitch has already been intense, with plenty of games and possession-based drills built into the early schedule.
Wirtz: Liverpool need to improve
The clearest message from Wirtz is that Liverpool are not treating this as business as usual. He said directly that the club have “a lot of things to do better” and called it “a new start” as he looks ahead to his second season.
That matters because it reflects how the player himself is viewing the reset. This is not just a new coach or a new training block. For Wirtz, it is an opportunity to draw a line under a season he was not fully happy with and start again with clearer purpose.
There is also a practical edge to that message. The fact that training has already involved a lot of football work suggests Iraola is wasting no time in setting standards, and Wirtz appears to have bought into that quickly.
First summer appearance on Sunday
Wirtz is in line to make his first club appearance of the summer on Sunday against Leeds United in Chicago, which will offer the first real glimpse of how Liverpool are shaping up under their new head coach.
It will not settle every question about the season ahead, but it will at least show how quickly the squad are adapting to the change. For now, the tone from Wirtz is positive, direct and honest: Liverpool are starting over, and the aim is to be better this time around.
He also spoke about Jürgen Klopp’s appointment as Germany manager, saying it was “very, very cool” and that “all of Liverpool loves him”, but the bigger story in Liverpool terms is his own belief that the club are entering a new phase with plenty still to prove.
