Three ways Liverpool could line up with Newcastle United’s Georginio Wijnaldum

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Play him deeper

Jurgen Klopp’s sides are renowned for their high pressing and counter attacking, but as Liverpool manager, he will have to adapt to teams coming to Anfield and sitting back, inviting the side to have the ball and soaking up pressure.

This is where Liverpool came unstuck last season, notably twice against Wijnaldum’s Newcastle side, who they failed to beat over the season despite the Magpies’ relegation. The Dutchman even scored both goals in a 2-0 win against the Reds last season.

In order to counter this and add a bit of creativity from deeper in midfield, Klopp could elect to play Wijnaldum from a role in the centre of the park, rather than an attacking midfield role. This would allow him to squeeze as much creativity into his team as possible, with Firmino, Coutinho and Mane all playing behind a central striker, in this case Origi, with Wijnaldum providing the kind of quality on the ball from the centre that Jordan Henderson is sadly not capable of.

With Emre Can anchoring the midfield to balance out Wijnaldum’s defensive insufficiencies, this is a formation that will only be used when Liverpool are in need of breaking down a defensively stubborn team. Don’t expect to see it that often, but playing Wijnaldum from a deeper role could be the key to Liverpool securing more victories against poorer teams this season.

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