Divock Origi: Is Liverpool's Lille Loanee Another Mario Balotelli?
Liverpool's Belgian centre/right-forward Divock Origi, 19, is declining on loan at Lille, which should give the Reds' coaching staff pause for thought: is Origi going to struggle like Mario Balotelli?
Signed for €13.5/£10 million and loaned back to Lille, Liverpool presumably projected he would find more success in Ligue 1 than being immediately propelled into the Premier League.
Slipshod Attitude
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After securing a five-year contract at Liverpool, Origi's viewpoint has seemingly drifted into fantasy.
You can pinpoint the culprit—Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers.
"The agreement was for [Origi] to stay [at Lille] so we will see how that works," Rodgers said, per BBC Sport. "[Though], there has been some discussion [to end his loan] but there is nothing to report."
Rodgers giving Origi false hope may have swayed his feelings towards Lille.
Staying at Lille should have been seen as a positive, as pointed out by Bleacher Report's Liverpool correspondent Matt Ladson, but Origi had a polar-opposite perspective.
Knocked back into reality, Origi finds himself stagnating at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
"[Lille] are a good club and they have helped me. But it is also frustrating," Origi said, per the Liverpool Echo. "If there was that chance of joining Liverpool sooner, I would take it."
There was no chance, as Lille manager Rene Girard categorically denied reports of the club imminently releasing Origi to Liverpool during the January transfer window.
"It was agreed that Divock spend the year with us," Girard said, per RTBF (h/t Ian Holyman at ESPN FC). "There's no reason he should leave midway through the season."
This is the backdrop to Origi's flippant demeanour and unwillingness to fight for Lille, hence he has endured criticism from a segment of their supporters, as observed by French football writer James Eastham and the Daily Mail.
| Tackles Per 90 Mins. | 0.8 | 1.4 |
| Interceptions Per 90 Mins. | 0.4 | 0.2 |
Balotelli is a more prolific ball-winner per 90 minutes than Origi.
Yet, Rodgers is unsatisfied with Balotelli's defensive intensity.
"[Balotelli] knows what's required to get in the squad," Rodgers said, per Jason Burt at The Telegraph. "The pressing and aggression—if you can't do that, you are not going to be part of the team."
Origi's tackles per 90 minutes decreased from 1.2 last season to 0.8, which indicates he is playing half-heartedly.
When you factor in how physically gifted Origi is, it is concerning he is taking shortcuts, showing laziness and not being a team-player when Lille need him.
A No. 11?
A direct runner blessed with velocity and a proclivity to burst into open space, Origi has characteristics you associate with a first-rate winger.
Seizing then-Lille substitute Ronny Rodelin's superlative lofted instep pass towards the right wing, Origi bypassed Toulouse's defence and squared the ball to Lille centre-forward Nolan Roux for a tap-in during a 3-0 win.
A primitive kick-and-run scheme like this is why Girard instructs Origi to interchange from centre-forward to right-forward.
Now this tactical ploy is designed in the short-term to benefit Girard.
It's a "this will keep me from getting fired" play since Lille only average 0.83 goals per game in Ligue 1.
Origi is in a Daniel Sturridge-esque situation.
"Having been a striker and then being asked [by Chelsea] to just flick a switch and play on the wing was always going to be difficult," Sturridge said, per Andy Heaton and Martin Fitzgerald at The Anfield Wrap.
"When I was playing as a winger at Chelsea I was over-thinking it. It's about that split second when you have to decide whether you do this or do that. Whereas, now [at Liverpool] I'm just playing on instinct."
While Origi is fast and direct, he is erratic.
He completes 18.8 percent of his crosses and loses the ball 53.7 percent of the time he attempts a take-on.
Switching positions befuddles Origi's identity, which contributes to his inadequate form.
Balotelli-like Shooting Slump
Liverpool have invested seven figures into Origi probably believing he will prove to be a cheaper alternative to Alexandre Lacazette in the long run (the Lyon centre-forward has scored 21 goals in 22 Ligue 1 games and maintains a seven-goal cushion as top scorer).
Origi possesses high upside as a centre-forward, however his shooting has been as dire as Balotelli's.
| Minutes Per Game | 68.1 | 63.3 |
| Goals/Games | 3/19 | 0/12 |
| Shots Per Goal | 11.7 | 0 |
| Shots Per Game | 1.8 | 3.9 |
| Shooting Accuracy % | 34.3 | 38.3 |
- Both Origi and Balotelli are very inaccurate shooters.
- The 2.1 difference in shots per game tells you Balotelli is a volume-shooter, who has a short memory of his misses, and continues to fire away.
- Whereas, Origi is an inefficient shooter and he does not test opposing goalkeepers enough. There are 37 players in Ligue 1 who average more shots per game (1.9 plus) than him.
- Does Origi second-guess himself when he is about to shoot? If that is the case, it would explain him constantly choking in front of goal and his poorly placed penalties.
Conclusion
| Anwar El Ghazi (Ajax; 19) | 7/5 | 12/19 |
| Bertrand Traore (Vitesse; 19) [1] | 5/2 | 16/18 |
| Muamer Tankovic (AZ; 19) | 5/4 | 15/18 |
| Daley Sinkgraven (Ajax; 19) [2] | 4/2 [3] | 22/22 |
| Divock Origi (Lille; 19) [4] | 3/2 | 13/19 |
| Timo Werner (Stuttgart; 18) | 3/1 | 10/18 |
| Stipe Perica (Udinese; 19) [5] | 3/0 [6] | 9/11 |
| [1] On loan from Chelsea. | ||
| [2] Predominantly a CM. | ||
| [3] Goals/assists for Heerenveen. | ||
| [4] On loan from Liverpool. | ||
| [5] On loan from Chelsea. | ||
| [6] Goals for NAC Breda. |
It is normal for teenagers to be inconsistent.
Positive spin: Excluding Anwar El Ghazi, there isn't a sizeable gap between Origi and some of Europe's best attacking prospects aged 19 and younger.
Reality: Origi is Lille's version of Balotelli.
Origi's inability to convert has led to him being benched by Girard and has opened up a spot for Kevin Koubemba.
*read in Rafael Benitez voice*
FACT: Origi has scored nine goals in 59 Ligue 1 games at a 0.15 goals per game average.
FACT: El Hadji Diouf scored 19 goals in 97 Ligue 1 games at a 0.33 goals per game average when he arrived at Anfield in 2002, per Ric George at LiverpoolFC.com:
"[Liverpool manager Gerard] Houllier moved in, signing [Diouf], the current African Footballer of the Year, on a five-year deal.
...
His valuation, believed to be between €12.1/£9 - €13.4/£10 million, on the evidence of last Friday's game, would surely have risen over the next few weeks.
...
His 19 league strikes in 97 outings for his three French clubs do not do him justice ... At 21 [years old], he is a star for the present as well as for the future.
...
Diouf's move to Liverpool represents the latest landmark in the career of a player who is on course to become Africa's biggest name since George Weah.
"
In hindsight, Ric George should have looked into Diouf's unimpressive strike rate in France, as opposed to glossing over it saying: "[it does] not do him justice."
The same applies to Origi.
Sure, Origi is one of the biggest talents in European football, but you should not turn a blind eye to his sluggish development.
When not specified, statistics via WhoScored.com.
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