Gini Wijnaldum on how team has ‘evolved’
Liverpool star Gini Wijnaldum has spoken to the media about how the team has evolved this season under manager Jurgen Klopp.
The Reds midfielder spoke to the official club website about how things has progressed under Klopp this campaign, while also taking some time out to praise Virgil van Dijk.
Wijnaldum has been at Anfield since moving from Newcastle United in 2016 for a £24.75 million fee and has played 139 times for the Reds.
Klopp has changed his position from a more attacking player – which is how Steve McLaren and Rafa Benitez used the Dutchman at Newcastle – into more of a utility man in midfield.
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The end result is less in terms of goals and assists, but more in terms of contribution to the overall team dynamic.
While that process has taken some time, the one that happened this season has been more dramatic – said Wijnaldum: “We have evolved a lot, you can see it not only with the results but also with the way we were playing. We grew during the season.”
To take 97 points, have the stingiest defence and only lost one game but still not win the league is an incredible achievement. In many ways it was a season of growth for Liverpool, and Gini believes that it benefited everyone.
“We learned a lot. Everyone is a better player than they were before,” the Dutch international continued.
A big part of that success was defender van Dijk, who had a colossal campaign as he was a big reason why Liverpool managed to lift the Champions League final.
He was named as PFA Players’ Player of the Year and that was mainly down to his ridiculous ability to pile flawless performance on top of flawless performance.
“What has impressed me the most with Virgil is that he’s consistent, he barely makes a mistake,” said Wijnaldum.
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You can tell he’s a good player, added the midfielder, but van Dijk makes everyone around him up their game and acts like a giant safety blanket.