Liverpool vs Everton: Everyone is falling out of love with Gini Wijnaldum

Liverpool made the short trip to Goodison Park for the Merseyside derby on Sunday, but put in a poor performance and now everyone is falling out of love with Gini Wijnaldum.

Wijnaldum is one of manager Jurgen Klopp’s most important players and has been vital to the Reds this season. So why are people going off the Dutchman?

It could be because of his lack of tangible impact. During his first Premier League season with Newcastle United, Wijnaldum scored 11 and assisted five. This campaign, the midfielder has hit the back of the net just twice and set up nothing.

But that is a disservice to the role Gini plays and the footballer that Klopp as turned him in to. At Newcastle, Wijnaldum attacked. He got into advanced areas and supported the forwards a lot more, but was he playing his best football?

Klopp has recognized the Dutchman’s many talents and has converted Gini into a better all-rounder. Wijnaldum no longer spends most of the game looking to get into the box and score. Instead he tracks back, works harder and is the base for a lot of Liverpool’s attacks.

Back in December the gaffer praised his midfielder publicly, saying: “He combines a lot of things that you need. I don’t know how many positions he’s played. In the double-six he plays really well” complimented Klopp.

His moments of stardust are fewer, and that makes him an easy target when things go wrong. But Klopp moulds his players to perform to his system, and a lot of good flows through Wijnaldum.

Fans have criticized Gini for holding on to the ball for too long, or picking an easier pass out wide when there was a 50/50 option through the middle – and all players have times when they’re not at peak levels.

But Naby Keita could have easily come on, tried something different, been dispossessed and criticized for losing the ball in the wrong place. It’s all subjective, so let’s give our lads a bit of a break.