Wijnaldum’s all smiles

THE smile is back on Georginio Wijnaldum’s face this season having swapped relegation for a Champions League battle.

There wasn’t much fun for Wijnaldum on Tyneside 12 months ago as Newcastle were relegated from the Premier League.

But that didn’t stop Jurgen Klopp from taking him to Merseyside last summer where the Dutchman has become an integral part of Liverpool’s midfield.

The pressure is on to secure a top-four finish, but that sure beats scrapping for survival in Wijnaldum’s eyes.

“When I was at PSV in Holland, I was Champion of the league,” he recalls.

“I went to Newcastle with good intentions of finishing 10th, ninth, eighth.

“They had a difficult season before I arrived but when I spoke with the manager, Steve McClaren, you had the feeling they wanted to do something new and try to create a new team.

“When I went to Newcastle, I had good intentions.

“In the beginning we were trying to play football, but as soon as you don’t win games, the confidence goes away and, basically, you are fighting to survive.

“You forget how to enjoy football. I had enjoyed it at the beginning but at the end of the season my joy disappeared a bit because it was more fighting and not really football any more.