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When a player is heavily tied to an exit during a transfer window, it is common to see him excluded from his club’s roster for whatever match takes place. After all, nothing devalues an asset like a serious injury.
But while there have been very strong rumors about Barcelona’s interest in Gini Wijnaldum, the Dutchman has been presenting strongly for Liverpool in the last month. Wijnaldum appeared in the Reds’ first three preseason games, playing the most bonding minutes of any player, only missing a 7-2 win over Blackpool thanks to being on international service.
He played the full 90 minutes for the Netherlands in both their win over Poland and their loss to Italy, before returning to start the 2020/21 opener against Leeds United at Anfield on Saturday.
To be fair, the outbound conversation has cooled off recently, with Sky sports Wijnaldum recently informed Liverpool of his intention to remain at the club, so perhaps it should come as no surprise that he was performing against Marcelo Bielsa’s team.
However, it might have come as a surprise to some that he was the only midfielder in the starting lineup that lasted the distance. Naby Keita set off for Fabinho in the 59th minute as the Reds looked to protect their 3-2 lead, then returning captain Jordan Henderson gave way to Curtis Jones after 66 minutes had elapsed.
At first glance, Wijnaldum was perhaps lucky enough to play the entire match. He made an interception at three from Keita and one inning less than Henderson despite playing an extra 24 minutes. Joe Gomez and Andy Robertson recovered the ball more times than Liverpool’s number five managed, while each starting bar Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk completed more passes in the final third.
But it was always like that with Wijnaldum. He often contributes little to headline statistics, a notion best exemplified by the fact that it has been almost two and a half years since he last assisted a Premier League goal. He has been unlucky enough not to create a goal in that period: the 47 chances he has created have been worth more than three expected assists, according to Understat – but sometimes it can be difficult to figure out exactly what it brings.
Jurgen Klopp is not stupid (as if it were necessary to say). If Wijnaldum were not delivering what was expected of him, then he would not have become the Liverpool manager’s most used midfielder in recent years.
And what he offers are elite-level ball retention skills and the ability to beat the opposition press. He ranks among the best players in Europe’s five major leagues when you look at pass accuracy statistics and passes made under pressure. His supreme talent for retaining and recycling possession is the reason he is rarely lacking on the team.
The Dutchman has made at least 33 league games in his four seasons in Merseyside, and last season’s 3-0 win at Bournemouth was the only league game in Liverpool’s title-winning campaign in which he did not participate.
In fact, Casemiro was the only midfielder from any of Europe’s top clubs to rack up more league minutes than Wijnaldum in 2019/20. The former Newcastle United star was rarely substituted prematurely, having completed 20 league games last season.
Only six midfielders from England’s six big clubs played 90 more minutes, and six of the times Wijnaldum was substituted early occurred in the last 10 minutes of matches. So it seems there was nothing unusual about the Dutchman lasting the distance against Leeds, it was just normal.
The message seems to be that he is here to stay and that he is as important to Klopp as ever.
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