Gini Wijnaldum: Nothing less than the same again will do
Nothing less than the same intensity and desire as produced against Everton will do for Liverpool against Bournemouth this evening, Georginio Wijnaldum has stressed.
The Reds play host to the Cherries at Anfield looking to maintain their push for a top-four finish after Saturday’s 3-1 Merseyside derby victory left those hopes in their own hands.
And Wijnaldum insists Liverpool must approach the encounter with exactly the same application they manufactured against their neighbours.
He told Liverpoolfc.com: “I think you can make it easier for yourself if you are spot on and sharp from the start.
“Even when you have bad things in the game, like conceding a goal, [it’s important that] you still have confidence and do the things you did before, the things you do well, to score another goal.
“It was a real good game against Everton and we made it easier for ourselves because we did the things we can do good. Even when it was not that good in the game, we were sharp and had the confidence we could do better. We now must have the same focus to win against Bournemouth.”
Liverpool consolidated third place in the Premier League table with the win against Everton and with eight games to go, are on course to secure a Champions League berth.
Nevertheless, there’s little room for error given the close proximity of the sides challenging at the summit of the division.
“No [we can’t afford any slip-ups],” Wijnaldum said. “But we were already at that stage in January. Everything can happen.
“It’s [about] the way you play in games – if you give your all, have confidence and stay focused, sometimes you can still lose those games in the Premier League, but if you give everything you don’t look back thinking you could have done this or that. If you give your all you can say, ‘OK, we lost the game but we did everything to win it.’ In my opinion, if we do that we will win a lot of games.”
He added: “It’s a great thing [to have all of these teams competing at the top].
“In a lot of other countries, you will see just one or two teams are fighting for the title or for the top few places, but in the Premier League there are six or seven teams. That makes the Premier League interesting – not only for fans, but also for players. I enjoy it.”
LFCTV GO: Gini on Bournemouth test
Having won three and drawn one of their last four fixtures, Liverpool go into tonight’s game with Bournemouth as favourites to clinch maximum points.
Nevertheless, Wijnaldum believes the 4-3 defeat at the Vitality Stadium to the Cherries back in December can serve as a warning as to the danger Eddie Howe’s side will pose at Anfield.
He said: “It was a good thing to learn. We started really well and scored two goals, but I must say the last 10 minutes in the first half were already difficult for us because we were not as sharp as we were at the beginning.
“At half-time, the manager was warning us that if we play like that, we could concede goals and draw or lose the game. In the second half, we were still not at our best, they scored a goal and it was a wake-up call for us.
“From that, we were spot-on again and sharp, we scored for 3-1 but after that, we were taking it too easy again and were passive. They had the chance to do what they’re good at; to fight, win duels and score goals.
“They can be a big threat. They’re a team who don’t think they’re beaten even if they’re 2-0 down.
“We saw at Bournemouth they were still fighting and had the confidence they could come back into the game. We must make sure we have the focus and stay sharp. Even if we go 1-0 or 2-0 up, we must not think the game is over.”
In beating Everton, Liverpool ensured they will end the season undefeated against the other teams who currently make up the top seven of the table.
However, Wijnaldum doesn’t subscribe to the view the Reds find it difficult to impose themselves against sides in the lower reaches of the standings.
“To be fair, I already think in the beginning of the season we won against both the big teams and the so-called lesser sides,” he said. “It was in January and February where we dropped a lot of points against those teams in the league and I think that’s why people were saying we only perform against the bigger teams.
“[The final eight games] are a chance to show that is not the case. We have already shown it before, but you don’t do it for other people – you have to do it for yourself, for us a team and for Liverpool. That’s the way we are looking at it.”