Berlin (Germany), Nov 11 : Wearing a shy smile, Florian Wirtz stepped onto the pitch at the small AOK Stadion in Wolfsburg. The home of VfL Wolfsburg's women's and youth teams erupted in warm applause from about 4,000 fans for the struggling Liverpool striker.

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann's comments struck a chord. In a passionate address, the 38-year-old urged patience and support for the 22-year-old forward, while criticising Liverpool for failing to convert his chances. "He creates a lot, but they don't finish them. That's part of the truth," Nagelsmann said. "We all need to back him so he can clear his head and perform at his best - both here and in Liverpool."

Nagelsmann added that Liverpool lacked collective spirit. "Every one of the five strikers thinks he should be starting," he noted.

After joining Liverpool from Leverkusen for a reported 150 million euros, Wirtz has often found himself on the bench. Nagelsmann called the situation "complex," saying the club as a whole had been inconsistent compared with last season, reports Xinhua. "At his age, fluctuations are normal," he said. "You can't expect him to play at the highest level nonstop for three years."

Still, Nagelsmann praised Wirtz's growing intensity and recent progress. "Flo has been improving week by week," he said. "We all know what he can bring to us - and to any club."

Despite criticism over his recent form, Nagelsmann said Liverpool's recent wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid were "promising," even with a "little setback" in a 3-0 loss to Manchester City. "I'm in the right place and want to help make Liverpool successful," Wirtz had said earlier.

Nagelsmann encouraged him to use the international break to rebuild confidence. Germany faces Luxembourg on Friday and Slovakia on Monday in its 2026 World Cup qualifiers, needing two wins to secure top spot in the group.

Nagelsmann called for greater efficiency from his strikers ahead of the team's final two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg on Friday and Slovakia next Monday.

Germany faces a striker shortage that is testing the depth of the 2014 FIFA World Cup champion.

While Newcastle's Nick Woltemade, Frankfurt's Jonathan Burkardt, and Dortmund's Maximilian Beier continue to search for their first national team goals, a series of injuries and setbacks have limited coach Julian Nagelsmann's options. "We don't always have a top squad to our disposal," the German coach said, as Niclas Fullkrug, Kai Havertz, Jamal Musiala, Tim Kleindienst, and Deniz Undav remain sidelined ahead of the trip to Belfast.

Twenty-eight of the 51 goals Germany has scored in Nagelsmann's 25 games in charge came from the missing forwards. That three of the four goals in the recent win over Luxembourg came from set pieces tells its own story, as Germany's golden era of box-striker dominance appears to be fading. All three goals were scored by defenders.

Kleindienst was the last traditional striker to score for Germany, finding the net in a 3-3 draw with Italy in March 2025.

Once known as a country of prolific strikers -- from Miroslav Klose, Rudi Voller and Jurgen Klinsmann to Gerd Muller and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge -- Germany now appears caught in a rare drought.

/IANS