Takumi Minamino made more attempted pressures in a single game than any Liverpool player this season against Midtjylland, as highlighted by This Is Anfield.
The Japanese winger is still taking time to fully settle at Anfield, having joined from RB Salzburg last December, officially signing at the beginning of this year.
Minamino started against Midtjylland on Wednesday night, and while he was relatively quiet on the ball, one hugely impressive statistic caught the eye.
According to FBref, the 25-year-old’s tally of 37 attempted pressures was a record for Liverpool this season. Twenty-eight of those came in midfield, where Minamino was used throughout the game by Jurgen Klopp.
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Minamino’s Liverpool career has been disappointing so far, considering how good he looked for Salzburg in a Champions League clash at Anfield last season.
Granted, it is hard to earn playing time with world-class players ahead of him, but three goals and one assist in 27 Reds appearances is still a rather modest return.
He looked more at home in a midfield role against Midtjylland, however, and it could be that he is used more as a number 8 moving forward.
Minamino lacks the pace to thrive out wide in the manner that Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota often do, and he isn’t as physical as Roberto Firmino when leading the line. Therefore, keeping a central midfield role could enable Klopp to finally get the best out of him.
