Divock Origi will always be a cult hero in the eyes of Liverpool fans for his work during the 2018/19 season, despite the fact that success was about moments rather than a sustained level of high performance.
But the Belgian has been unable to kick again this season, a point made even more obvious by his inability to make the most of his time on the field in his favorite number nine position against Aston Villa at Anfield since the restart.
Since then, he has appeared only for seven minutes against Arsenal and three minutes against Chelsea, missing an appearance against both Brighton and Burnley.
This season, Origi has scored just three times in the Premier League: against Norwich City on the season opener almost 12 months ago, and then a reinforcement against Everton in December in a much-changed Merseyside XI derby.
Again, like last year, there have been moments, but certainly none as important as last season, while many of his opportunities to impress have seen him fail to take proper advantage.
But Josh Williams described on the Analyzing Anfield podcast that he’s not so sure. He said: “[Against Aston Villa] He played just over an hour, didn’t have a shot, and didn’t help a shot, either, with zero key passes.
“For every two passes he completed, he gave the ball away once. I don’t think the performance would have been that bad if Liverpool had played the exact same team, but with Takumi Minamino instead of Origi.”
“Minamino is loosely on Roberto Firmino’s profile in terms of leaving and providing that link in the last third, but Origi can’t seem to do it.
“I’m not quite sure what he can do to be honest: he’s a tough player to use and Klopp has been a master at bringing out the best in him. But when you start it especially, it can be painful.”
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Transfer links with attack reinforcements in the summer will certainly continue, but Liverpool are highly unlikely to bring additional players to their front line.
Xherdan Shaqiri could stay despite missing most of this season, Curtis Jones can play to the left of the top three, while Minamino will improve further and Harry Wilson could stay after his successful loan at Bournemouth.
But statistics show that Origi may not be the man to turn to first.
With Rhian Brewster in shape and shooting the Swansea City goals, Liverpool fans are understandably asking “what’s next?” for the Origi Reds race.
Het Laatste Nieuws (via SportWitness) recently reported that Origi was happy to wait at Anfield and has accepted his squad role, even if that costs him a place in the European Championship next summer.
That, however, would be a great decision.
At the age of 25, with his best seasons ahead and having spent six years at Anfield, Origi himself has yet to make a big decision about where his future is, either this summer or next.
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