Georginio Wijnaldum Signing Gives Liverpool Further Tactical Flexibility
"We have to decide early and at the right moment on transfers," Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told reporters in February. "But it is about a squad where you can play different systems and react to different situations."
Since his arrival on Merseyside in October, Klopp has extolled the virtues of tactical flexibility and the ability to negotiate the qualities of specific opposition—something he underlined as a key strength of his in seven years at Borussia Dortmund.
Speaking to the assembled media following his appointment, for example, Klopp detailed his time with Dortmund and the need to "invest more:"
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"I do not only have one vision. What we played at Dortmund was the way we thought best to be more successful than before, that’s all.
If you are not in the best situation, we have to change and the first thing we have to change is to do more.
If you try to be more intelligent, it’s not possible, but if you try to do more, try to learn more, try to invest more, that’s possible. That’s the first thing.
"
Be it against Exeter City in the FA Cup or Manchester City in the Premier League, Klopp is looking to build a squad capable of handling the demands of various tactical landscapes, and in his first summer in charge at Anfield, he is taking the next steps toward doing so.
The signing of Sadio Mane, a fleet-footed, versatile forward able to play across the front line, is a key example of this, with the Senegalese likely to perform a number of duties in 2016/17, following his £30 million move from Southampton.
More influential, however, will be the signing of Georginio Wijnaldum, with the Reds' imminent £25 million arrival poised to provide Klopp with further tactical flexibility following his move from Newcastle United.
According to the Express' Paul Joyce, Liverpool moved to agree a big-money deal with the Magpies following the collapse of their pursuits of Udinese's Piotr Zielinski and Borussia Monchengladbach's Mahmoud Dahoud, likely revealing Wijnaldum as Klopp's third-choice target in midfield.
Wijnaldum will likely arrive as a replacement for Welsh midfielder Joe Allen, with the Guardian's Andy Hunter reporting Liverpool have accepted a £13 million bid for the 26-year-old from Mark Hughes' Stoke City—with Swansea City and Sevilla also credited with interest.
Allen's departure will come as a disappointment to sections of the Merseyside support because of his strong form both under Klopp in 2015/16 and for Wales during their remarkable run to the semi-finals of the summer's UEFA European Championship in France.
But in Wijnaldum, Liverpool will be acquiring an accomplished replacement—and arguably an upgrade on the former Swans playmaker in terms of the qualities he provides and how they suit Klopp's brand of attacking football.
Standing at 5'9" and weighing in at 69 kilograms, Wijnaldum is a deceptively strong, athletically gifted midfielder, whose breakthrough campaign with the Magpies in 2015/16 came after an impressive spell in the Eredivisie.
Wijnaldum began his career as a seven-year-old with Sparta Rotterdam, before earning the move to Feyenoord in 2004. He was handed his debut with the club at the age of 16, becoming the Dutch giants' youngest-ever first-team player.
Despite the Rotterdam outfit losing 4-0 to FC Groningen that afternoon, Wijnaldum's performance alongside a 19-year-old Jonathan de Guzman clearly piqued manager Erwin Koeman's interest, as he went on to feature in their next two league outings, against Heracles Almelo and NEC Nijmegen.
After a number of steady seasons developing in the Feyenoord midfield, Wijnaldum enjoyed a reputation-enhancing campaign in 2010/11, scoring 14 goals in 34 Eredivisie games and earning a move to PSV Eindhoven.
Over the next four seasons with PSV, Wijnaldum continued his excellent goalscoring form, scoring 14 goals in 50 games in 2011/12, 20 in 45 in 2012/13, six in 17 in 2013/14 and 18 in 44 in 2014/15.
PSV won their first Eredivisie title since 2008 in Wijnaldum's final season with the club, with the midfielder following Memphis Depay to the Premier League last summer, making the switch to St. James' Park for £14.5 million as part of a major upheaval on Tyneside that also saw Florian Thauvin, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Chancel Mbemba join Steve McClaren's ill-fated Magpies.
Despite Newcastle suffering relegation in 2015/16, however, Wijnaldum scored 11 goals in his 38 league appearances for the club, making him one of the most prolific attacking midfielders in the English top flight last season:
- Riyad Mahrez, Leicester City: 15 goals
- Andre Ayew, Swansea City: 11 goals
- Sadio Mane, Southampton: 11 goals
- Gylfi Sigurdsson, Swansea City: 11 goals
- Georginio Wijnaldum, Newcastle United: 11 goals
Possessing a rare ability to find the back of the net consistently from midfield, Wijnaldum is capable of driving through defences and finding himself in the right place at the right time, with his pace and intelligent movement aiding his linkup play in the final third.
Wijnaldum proved this with four goals at home to Norwich City in October, as McClaren's briefly resurgent side triumphed 6-2—and in scoring both from the ground and in the air in that game, he highlighted himself as a multifaceted talent.
It is this versatility that will no doubt have magnified Wijnaldum's potential as a summer target for Klopp, with the German clearly looking to add more options to his squad ahead of 2016/17, as well as goals.
McClaren was succeeded by former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez at St. James' Park, and though the Anfield legend failed to inspire the side away from relegation at the end of the season, his arrival saw some positives emerge within the Newcastle squad.
Speaking to reporters shortly after his arrival at the club in March, Benitez held up Wijnaldum as a player he would "enjoy" coaching:
"He is so good, he can play everywhere and do well.
We were thinking about where to play him the other day, and we said: ‘His best position could be behind the striker’. But because he is doing well he can play on the right, he can play on the left.
And even then I was talking to him about when he was playing against Costa Rica [for the Netherlands] in the World Cup in Brazil [in 2014] in a deeper position, and he can play there too because he is so good.
On saying that, he is so good up front because he can create and score goals.
I think that his best position is behind the striker but we need quality now out on the pitch, so he can help in any position.
"
Per Transfermarkt, Wijnaldum played in four different positions for Newcastle in 2015/16: central midfield, attacking midfield and on both flanks. Between them, McClaren and Benitez utilised five different systems: 4-2-3-1, 4-1-4-1, 4-4-2, 5-3-2 and 3-1-4-2.
As Klopp would attest, Wijnaldum is a player capable of "[playing in] different systems and [reacting] to different situations." Therefore, upon the midfielder's arrival at the club's United States training camp this summer, the 49-year-old will be presented with a variety of tactical options.
So far this pre-season, with Liverpool sealing victories away to Tranmere Rovers, Fleetwood Town, Wigan Athletic and Huddersfield Town, Klopp has employed two regular formations: 4-2-3-1 and the 4-3-3.
This has seen the likes of Mane, Marko Grujic, Ovie Ejaria and Trent Alexander-Arnold thrive, and it is likely the manager will employ one of these systems when the Premier League campaign begins away to Arsenal on August 14.
Owing to his versatility, Wijnaldum would be able to slot into these formations in a number of different roles.
No. 10 in the 4-2-3-1
"That is my better position," Wijnaldum told the Chronicle's Chris Waugh of the No. 10 role in January. "I can be more important for the team. I can make better runs with my technique and my goals."
While Roberto Firmino's excellent performance in a central-attacking position in 2015/16 suggests the Brazilian will retain his role for the new campaign, his regular starts as a No. 9 in pre-season could be significant.
If Klopp sees Firmino vying with Daniel Sturridge, Divock Origi and Danny Ings for a starting berth leading the line, Wijnaldum could take up his role as Liverpool's supporting figure behind the main striker.
Wide Midfield in the 4-3-3
Under McClaren and Benitez last season, Wijnaldum was regularly deployed as a wide midfielder, making 18 appearances on the left side of the Magpies' midfield—more than in any other role.
This saw Wijnaldum score eight of his 11 goals, utilising his intelligent, well-timed runs to arrive in the penalty area at the opportune moment, and this could be Klopp's plan for him at Liverpool.
Deploying him on the left side of a midfield three, alongside Emre Can and Jordan Henderson, would see Wijnaldum provide mobility, industry and attacking support from deep.
Double Pivot in the 4-2-3-1
Though perhaps least likely, Wijnaldum's ability to play deeper in midfield could see the 25-year-old challenge the likes of Henderson, Can and Grujic for a starting role as part of the midfield two in Klopp's 4-2-3-1.
Klopp typically deployed a balanced midfield pairing in 2015/16, with one of his two deep-lying options performing the holding role while the other pushed forward to support attacks whenever possible.
Wijnaldum could operate as the latter, potentially alongside the more defensive-minded Can.
This versatility, along with Wijnaldum's goalscoring ability, natural fitness and experience of the English top flight, makes the Dutchman a sensible signing for Klopp as he looks to add to his midfield ranks this summer.
Liverpool will take on Chelsea, AC Milan, AS Roma, Barcelona and one of Klopp's former sides, Mainz, before the start of the campaign, providing them with much sterner tests than what has gone before this pre-season.
Adding Wijnaldum to the group at this stage will allow the Dutchman to adjust to his new team-mates and slot into Klopp's system whenever required, ensuring a smooth transition when the league campaign begins in August.
As Klopp plots for success in his second season in the Anfield dugout, he is slowly moulding a "a squad where you can play different systems and react to different situations." Wijnaldum will be a key cog.
Statistics via WhoScored.com, Transfermarkt.co.uk and Squawka.com.
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