Under Pressure, Georginio Wijnaldum Speaks Out

Liverpool ended their win-less ways last Saturday against Tottenham but what was going with the squad before that? Georginio Wijnaldum tells his side of the story.

Wijnaldum said, “I think in some situations we put too much pressure on ourselves and that is why it went so wrong.” He believes that the Reds were trying to hard to perform, both with and without Sadio Mane on the pitch. Overthinking can have a crippling effect on a player’s mind and on a team’s moral, it definitely did no our beloved Liverpool.

Wijnaldum notes that Liverpool play up to their competition, “There was a lot of pressure on us because only in the biggest games have we shown how good we are.” Fans have observed this against Chelsea, Manchester City and United, Arsenal, and Tottenham. BUT against lower table opponents the Reds leave fans dumbfounded. They cracked under pressure.

A Troubled Beginning

Every Liverpool fan knows that 2017 has been a ‘dumpster fire’ on the pitch. Over the first eleven matches, across all competitions, the Reds have posted a combined record of W-1 D-4 L-6. That is not they way to begin a new year.

Wijnaldum commented about the 2017 Liverpool rut by saying, “If you have a few poor games in a row you are going to put pressure on yourself of ‘we have to win this one or this and this will happen’.” This is what one would call a snowball effect and Liverpool have been caught right in the middle.

But the Reds did manage stop that snowball with a commanding 2-0 win against Tottenham, last Saturday. Topped off with two magical goals from Sadio Mane, which is a welcomed return to form for him and the Reds.

What Changed?

So, besides the return of Klopp’s favorite player from Senegal, what changed between Hull City and Tottenham. Again, Wijnaldum had a few words to share, “Last week we were only concentrating on Tottenham: how we can play against them, how we can hurt them and so on.”

Wijnaldum goes on to explain that prior to the Tottenham match the focus around Melwood and the squad was different. Their minds seemed sharper and the extra pressure seemed to have lifted. Whatever wise words Klopp and Henderson put together really motivated the Reds to a fantastic victory last Saturday at Anfield.

Hopefully much of the same will come about because of the squads warm weather training in Spain this week. Liverpool fans keep your chins up, the best is yet to come.