Blues are believers
Wijnaldum hails ‘hard, honest’ Jurgen for making him as a player
GEORGINIO WIJNALDUM has admitted Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is “always on your case” – but said it has been the making of him.
Wijnaldum joined Liverpool from Newcastle in the summer of 2016 for £25million and has established himself as one of Klopp’s most reliable players.
The Holland star could have joined Tottenham, but said he made the right choice in moving to Anfield and credited Klopp with transforming him.
“I’ve certainly grown as a player during my time here,” he said.
“The expectations are so high at such a big club and that drives you on to become better.
“I can’t speak for every player but I have a good relationship with him. He has helped me a lot.
“He can be hard, because he’s always on your case and saying what he thinks. But he’s honest, and I like that.
“It’s always in the right way, always for the right reasons. It’s not to make you feel bad or anything like that.
“He’s really hard but, on the other side, he keeps your confidence high. He says mistakes are just part of football.
“Against Leicester I made a mistake and it led to a goal. He wasn’t angry about the mistake, he was more angry about my reaction afterwards.
“He thought I was too busy thinking about it rather than just putting it behind me.”
Wijnaldum, 27, joined the Reds as an attacker, but Klopp has turned him into an effective deeper-lying midfielder, one with greater defensive responsibility.
The evolution is something Wijnaldum has fully embraced and is convinced has made him into an even more accomplished player. Only Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino bettered Wijnaldum’s total of 50 starts for Liverpool last season, while he made his 100th appearance for them at Chelsea last month.
“Before I signed for Liverpool I was playing for Newcastle as a No.10,” said Wijnaldum. “I was always attacking, I didn’t have to do much defensive work, I didn’t play as the No.6 or No.8.
“Learning to play different roles has made me a more all-round midfielder. It makes PREMIER LEAGUE RECORD Newcastle Liverpool Games played .............. 38 79 Games started ............. 36 69 Minutes played ........ 3,168 6,197 Goals .............................. 11 8 Assists ........................... 5 11 Passes ...................... 1,252 3,453 Passing accuracy .... 84% 89% Tackles ......................... 38 90 Interceptions ................ 27 55 Chances created .......... 48 70 it easier for you to play more often and for the manager if he has players who can be used in different positions.
“I think I’ve shown I have the defensive discipline to play deep as the No.6 and start the build-ups with my passing.
“I can also play higher up the pitch and make a difference in the opposition area. Being able to do both has helped me play so many games.”
Spurs were keen to land Wijnaldum two years ago, but PER 90 MINUTES Liverpool 79 69 6,197 0.1 0.2 50.2 89% 1.3 0.8 1.0 Games played .............. 38 Games started ............. 36 Minutes played ........ 3,168 Goals ........................... 0.3 Assists ......................... 0.1 Passes ....................... 35.6 Passing accuracy .... 84% Tackles .......................... 1.1 Interceptions .............. 0.8 Chances created .......... 1.4 he revealed the move never materialised, despite him having talks with boss Mauricio Pochettino.
“I had a really good conversation with Pochettino, but we didn’t come to an agreement,” Wijnaldum told the PFA website. “Not just me – Newcastle also didn’t come to an agreement with Tottenham.
“When I spoke with Jurgen, he made me feel really good. He gave me a lot of confidence because he said he liked my way of playing football.
“Three days after our meeting they had reached a deal and I didn’t think twice.
“This is one of the biggest clubs in the world. I wanted to make the transfer and I’m happy that I did.
“You want to be able to look back and feel you were part of Liverpool’s great history. Win something here and they will always remember you.
“I want to be remembered as part of something special.” MARCO SILVA has given his Everton players the “full belief” they can beat the Premier League’s big guns – despite losing at Manchester United.
The Blues went down 2-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday, but were unlucky not to claim a point.
Defender Seamus Coleman said: “We came here with the full belief we could win the game.
“That’s something the manager wants us to do now, come to these places and get all three points.
“We’ve got to look at the positives. There was a definite positive style to our play, even when we were losing, which was good.”