‘People laughed’: Pep Lijnders looks like a genius after Divock Origi claim

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Pep Lijnders looks prophetic after his midweek Divock Origi claim came true against Preston. The Liverpool coach knows what he’s talking about.

Divock Origi had a terrible 83 minutes against Preston North End. He essentially did nothing and it was quite easy to forget he was playing.

And yet here we are after the game and people are in awe of him. That’s just the Origi way.

The Belgian made headlines with a remarkable goal in the game, lobbing the goalkeeper with a scorpion kick. Virtually no one else would even attempt that finish yet Origi made it look routine.

In fact, he made it look completely casual as if it were the same as any other tap-in. Pure Divock Origi.

Minutes later, Origi should have had an assist as he sent Neco Williams through on goal. The 20-year-old couldn’t steer the ball past the goalkeeper, however.

And on a night when Liverpool struggled to make things happen at Deepdale, that was enough to make Origi one of the game’s standout players. But no matter what you think of his overall performance, that goal was something to shout about.

Particularly if you’re Pep Lijnders.

Lijnders on Origi

Lijnders did the pre-match press conference in the buildup to this one and he discussed Origi. In fact, he made a very bold claim about the Belgian.

“Divock is one of the world’s best finishers, and we worked with quite a few in different clubs,” said Lijnders, per Liverpoolfc.com.

“But he is absolutely a world-class finisher, it’s just to get him in these positions.”

What seemed like a bizarre statement now looks prophetic after Origi’s finish against Preston. That’s certainly the impression fans have.

Lijnders knows what he’s talking about, then. The coach nailed this one – few can finish as Origi does.

Now Liverpool just need to find a way for him to get in those positions…