Gini unchained in mandatory viewing on Thursday night
Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum will take on Northern Ireland for the Netherlands and it’s mandatory viewing to see him play unchained.
There is a strange freedom to Wijnaldum when he dons the orange and takes the field with his Dutch comrades. The same man is still out there, sure, with the same dazzling smile but in many ways he’s a different beast.
He’s unchained.
The Georginio Wijnaldum they see is the attacking, goal scoring machine Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven fans idolised and Eredivisie defences hated. With 63 goals and 24 assists across the Dutch top flight in 220 appearances, Wijnaldum was a real and present threat.
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He even continued that form into his first Premier League season. Steve McLaren was a shambolic manager but at Newcastle United Gini hit double figures with 11 goals and five assists as the former England boss gave Wijnaldum the freedom to get forward.
Things are different with Jurgen Klopp and he’s moulded this one-time attacking outlet into a more responsible footballer. Wijnaldum is arguably a better player now but his contributions are less eye-catching and it’s always fun to see him cut some slack for his country.
The 28-year-old has only hit the back of the net 14 times for the Netherlands but four of those have come in the last eight games. Since November 2018 Wijnaldum has scored against France, Belarus, Germany and Estonia while providing assists against Germany (twice) and Belarus.
Wijnaldum has been in fine attacking form and that’s not something Liverpool gets to see very often from the player. With one goal this season, and that was thanks to some awful goalkeeping from Sheffield United’s Dean Henderson, Gini can hardly claim to be prolific.
When given license by Klopp he does get goals. Those two against Barcelona were perfect Wijnaldum-type efforts, but they’re so few and far between.
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So tune in on Thursday night to get the pleasure of seeing Gini unchained against Northern Ireland. And remember, it’s mandatory viewing.