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For much of the summer, Liverpool’s interest in Thiago Alcântara was inextricably linked to the conversation about Gini Wijnaldum’s immediate future. With Ronald Koeman’s supposed desire to bring in his fellow Dutchman as part of his rebuilding of Barcelona, Thiago was the obvious candidate for Liverpool to fill the void in the form of Wijnaldum, albeit with significant stylistic differences between the two players.
At one point not so long ago, it seemed like a very plausible scenario: one inside, one outside. But as summer mixes with fall, it seems more and more likely that Liverpool could have their cake. Y eat it, at least for this season. Rather than Thiago’s arrival signaling Wijnaldum’s departure, the pair appear set to operate in tandem for Jürgen Klopp during 2020/21 unless something drastic happens between now and October 6.
And based on early evidence, it could be that Thiago’s presence helps bring out a totally different side of Wijnaldum in what will almost certainly be his fifth and final season as a Liverpool player.
It was notable in the 2-0 win against Chelsea that Wijnaldum operated significantly higher on the field than he usually does, frequently advancing as the most advanced player behind the three forwards, especially (but not exclusively) in the second. half, after Thiago’s Introduction from the bench. Unusually, he also recorded the most shots (four) of any Liverpool player on the day, which, while he didn’t score in any of them, was illustrative of the kind of positions he was taking.
Of course it was just one game, 45 minutes of which were against 10 men, but it is still extremely rare to see Wijnaldum play with that degree of positional freedom for Liverpool, much closer to the kind of role he usually plays for the Netherlands. . In fact, his heat map against Chelsea showed him seemingly playing almost like a No. 10, as opposed to the highly disciplined central midfielder role he normally occupies under Klopp.
It’s something Klopp has almost never experienced since Wijnaldum’s arrival from Newcastle in the summer of 2016, but with the level of control Thiago offers in that deeper role, plus Jordan Henderson and / or Fabinho alongside him, there are certainly more possibilities than ever. to unleash that more offensive version of Wijnaldum, giving him the license to make those late runs to the area and get to goal positions more regularly.
(Image: Graphics via SofaScore)
This is, it should be noted, a player who has scored seven goals in his last seven international outings playing as an attacking midfielder, so although he has not done so at club level for quite some time, he certainly has the capacity to be hugely effective there, if only as a means of tweaking things within games, particularly against stubborn, compact opponents who sit with 10 men behind the ball.
Of course, Klopp has plenty of other naturally progressive players who thrive in those central spaces between midfield and attack: Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Takumi Minamino, and boss Xherdan Shaqiri among them, but Wijnaldum’s combination of scoring pedigree and abundance defensive qualities offers a great deal of flexibility.
That’s not to say that we suddenly see the Dutch incarnation of Wijnaldum on a regular basis for Liverpool, but the option is very much available. In certain games where Klopp wants two from Thiago, Henderson and Fabinho on the court simultaneously, be it 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, Wijnaldum could benefit greatly.
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