Wijnaldum welcomes midfield competition
Greater competition for places in midfield can only benefit Liverpool this season, Georginio Wijnaldum believes.
Wijnaldum got the nod to start the Reds’ opening Premier League game of the new campaign on Sunday, and duly formed an impressive central trio with Naby Keita and James Milner as West Ham United were beaten 4-0 at Anfield.
Jürgen Klopp brought two specialist midfielders - Keita and Fabinho - to Merseyside during the summer transfer window, while fellow new signing Xherdan Shaqiri is also capable of playing deeper than his usual forward role.
The likes of Jordan Henderson and Adam Lallana are also midfield options for the manager, with Wijnaldum seeing such strength in depth as natural at a club of Liverpool’s stature.
“I always want to play,” the No.5 said.
“This kind of competition you have to get in a team like Liverpool. I think Manchester City and Chelsea, with the new signings that they've made, have it also.
“I think in each position there is competition and it's good. Back in the day it was not different. You just have to do your best for the manager.
“It has to be normal at a club like Liverpool - a club that will always buy good players, even if they already have good players. It makes the competition even bigger but that suits a big club like Liverpool.”
Keita’s eye-catching debut display versus the Hammers earned him the Reds’ Man of the Match award and Wijnaldum continued: “Naby has a lot of qualities.
“He can dribble, he can provide assists, he can score goals. He showed it in Germany.
“He can keep the ball and give us - I don't want to say time to rest - time to keep the ball as a team. I think he can regain the ball, his counter-pressing is good. I think he's a good signing for us.”
The 4-0 win over West Ham represented Liverpool’s biggest opening-day victory since 1932 - but Wijnaldum insisted that Klopp’s side will not be getting carried away after beginning 2018-19 in style.
“It's a good way to start the season,” he stated.
“But we still have 37 games left in the competition and hopefully a lot of Champions League and cup games. We just have to make sure we keep this confidence and the way we are playing. Hopefully we will play a lot of good games this season.
“We feel that we can do something special. We felt it last year also. But feeling is one thing, doing it is the second one. We'll work hard to achieve great things. That's what we're going to try.”
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