Georginio Wijnaldum has made a great start to life as a Liverpool player and Jan Molby backs him to continue in his current vein of form.
When it emerged that Liverpool were going to spend £25 million on Gini Wijnaldum, a player from relegated Newcastle United, supporters were less than happy. The Dutchman was perceived as a selfish, inconsistent player in a side that should’ve stay in the Premier League, but the egos of Wijnaldum and Moussa Sissoko held the side back.
Frankly, given the way Wijnaldum is performing, I can’t imagine the flip side of the coin and thank goodness we don’t have to. Jurgen Klopp is a manager who excels at helping players get rid of their inconsistency.
Speaking to Liverpool’s official website, Jan Molby spoke about how impressed he is with Wijnaldum.
“Wijnaldum is a clever player,” the Anfield said. “I have always thought he was a really good player and he fits the way we want to play.
MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES
“He breaks the lines and he makes great runs forward. He has had more of a deeper role so far at Liverpool, but it doesn’t surprise me that he can play there.
“He is technically very good and the more you see of him, the more you like. He has an excellent goalscoring record from midfield.”
Wijnaldum’s track record at scoring goals, as impressive as it is, no longer really features as a prominent aspect of his game as a result of his new midfield role. The Dutchman is excelling in the defensive part of his game.
Jordan Henderson and Wijnaldum have formed a great understanding in Liverpool’s engine room and Molby recognised the similarity between the two midfielders and picked up on the role that Liverpool’s new midfielder is playing.
He explained, “The season we nearly won the league [in 2013-14], I thought Jordan had a fantastic campaign playing in a different role, where we saw him making driving runs from deep and getting into the box.
“Now he has more of a responsible role as he is the man people look for when they are in trouble. He is your out ball and I think he has done very well for us and is an important player in the side.”
Liverpool are now unbeaten in nine Premier League games and 12 in all competitions. Molby praised Klopp for the work he’s done this season but stresses that there is a lot left of the season.
“It’s a long way to go and we know it will be extremely competitive right until the end of the season,” he said. “Good managers get the best from their players and that’s what Klopp has managed to do.
“I don’t think it’s something that is about to change and I think we have set standards now and we will continue to get close to that level right until the end of the season.”