Liverpool have made a perfect start to the new season, winning all four of the league games played. Though they weren’t at their best at every instant, the willingness to not give away easy points is something which must have pleased the manager and the fans.
Georginio Wijnaldum has been a key figure for the Reds since the start. It’s a surprise because many expected the Dutchman to warm the bench after the club did some business this summer to buy Fabinho and get Naby Keita. But Jurgen Klopp has something else in his mind, which quite frankly has worked to magnificence.
The German deployed Wijnaldum in the number six (deeper lying midfielder) role in the opening three games of this campaign. The 27-year-old has previously played in that position on two occasions last year – away to Everton and Manchester City.
It is fair to say that the manager got it right with this tactical change, as the Dutchman has looked more comfortable in this role. Against Leicester City though, with Jordan Henderson back in the line-up, Wijnaldum had to contend by playing the number eight role on the right side of a three, and we witnessed a difference of level in the performance.
Let us compare the 27-year-old’s play statistically and tactically in the two midfield positions he has played in this season.
The Dutchman played the first three games in defensive midfield and had a pretty decent return. He put up a slightly indifferent performance when slotted in at central midfield, however.
Dipping into some stats, he had a pass accuracy of 92%, 91% and 98% in the first three games, which dropped to 82% when he played at number eight against Leicester.
The 27-year-old managed to make five key interceptions/tackles during the first three games (at least one in each game), but none in the fourth. In terms of 50/50 duel winning, Wijnaldum had an average of 50% success rate (13 out of 27), which fell down to 16% at the King Power Stadium (one out of six).
A vital thing for the midfield is the amount of ground Wijnaldum covers in a game, or more specifically, how much ground he covers to influence the game positively for the team.
For that, let us take a look at the heat maps of Wijnaldum against Brighton (as a six) and against Leicester (as an eight), along with the number of touches he had:
Taking a look at the above images in comparison, there is a stark difference. The fact that this juxtaposition is done between consecutive matchdays is alarming, to say the least.
Talking about impacts in a game, Wijnaldum had 93 touches against Brighton followed by a mere 38 against Leicester. This can be clearly seen by the heat maps above; a cluster in the former and something of a sporadic nature in the latter.
Tactically speaking, if we rewind Liverpool’s game against Leicester, he looked a bit off the radar in most situations, either trying to cover up space or make space for a pass – neither could be done with great clarity.
Against Brighton, though, he was more involved in the build-up by passing the ball with accuracy, and taking good positions to win second balls and sustaining pressure on the opposition. Similar was the case against Crystal Palace and West Ham.
Few might say that this comparison is unfair, as the Dutchman has played only one game in that number eight position this season. But this talk of Wijnaldum getting lost in games was very evident last season too.
To add to this growing rationale, he was very good in the two games he played as a defensive midfielder last season. And to continue that, his remarkable contribution in the first three games really has provoked us to think of him as a different player.
Player positioning appears to be having an effect on how he is performing. Wijnaldum began his career as a box-to-box midfielder, more like a number eight. However, in his career at Liverpool, with the style of play deployed, he gets lost in that position in games.
Playing as a defensive midfielder has helped him to take more responsibilities, partly because he is the central figure of the team, and slightly because a number six is predominantly is going to have more of a say in the game in terms of touches of the ball, 50/50 duels or second ball recoveries.
Credit to Klopp for trying this experiment out with the 27-year-old; it has certainly worked a treat. We will have to wait and see whether the German deploys the player in a more “effective” position more often this season or not.
Comparatively speaking, there is more to Wijnaldum playing as a six, rather than an eight.
