24 May 2021 10:23:50
I'm not jumping on the bandwagon or getting sentimental because he's leaving; this is the same view I've held all along. I just don't get the negativity about Wijnaldum. Sure, he's had some underwhelming performances this season, but that was as part of a team that, at the time, was struggling pretty much from 1 to 11.

I kind of understand why people look at Wijnaldum and can't see his positive influence standing out like it does for, say, Salah or Fabinho. As a midfielder, he doesn't really fit into any of the traditional categories. Regular goal scorer - no (not for Liverpool anyway, although he's scored a few important ones), defensive/ holding midfielder - not really. Box to box, lung busting runs for 90 minutes - no. Midfield general - no. He's just one of those under-the-radar type of players that glues a team together.

I think the best way to sum it up is like this: we all rate Klopp as one of the best managers we've had. We trust him on almost everything. If Klopp has seen Wijnaldum as one of his most trusted players who he has selected more than any player other than Firmino and Milner, that has to tell us something. The fact that Wijnaldum's time at the club coincided with the most successful period we'd had in over thirty years surely tells us something as well. I don't believe that you can go to two Champions League finals in two years, winning one of them, and clock up 90 - 100 points in the league two seasons running, winning it once, if you have any passengers in your first XI, or any players not making a contribution. The implication from some peoples comments on Wijnaldum is that, a lot of the time, he has been a passenger. I've also seen it suggested that he only performed when he was after a new contract. I think that's crazy and insulting and is effectively saying that we achieved everything we've done in the last few years with only ten players pulling their weight. Really?


1.) 24 May 2021
24 May 2021 11:25:30
No. We achieved everything we did in the last few years when Gini could be bothered. When he couldn’t be bothered the team tanked and couldn’t buy a result for love nor money. He was the single biggest reason we were so bad in the period from Christmas to March. All of this happened immediately after it became obvious he wasn’t getting a new contract.

This debate is getting so boring now, i really don’t see the need to keep going over it. He isn’t even a Liverpool player anymore (well, after the end of this month technically) and if he was that special they surely would have given him what he wanted.

The club can now find a replacement and move on. The invention of arguments nobody has ever made being used as a means to make ‘Wijnaldum detractors’ look stupid is getting really tiresome.


2.) 24 May 2021
24 May 2021 11:27:42
Agree with that RR. I’ve backed Gini this season I really didn’t see what Ed1 or a lot of posters were seeing. It seemed like Thiago got a pass from a lot of people because he’s playing in a weakened midfield with a much weakened defence yet Gini bore the brunt of everyone’s anger. Largely in my opinion because they knew he was leaving so wanted to have a go at him. It’s always easier to dig out the player that’s leaving as then you can kid yourself that we’ll be better without him. We won’t.
As midfielders go he’s pretty unique. There’s only one other midfielder I can think of that can keep the ball under pressure in any situation like Gini can and that was Moussa Dembele at Spurs. They have never managed to replace him let’s hope we don’t have the same difficulty replacing Gini.
Whatever happens though I thank Gini for the memories and wish him all the best for the future.

{Ed001's Note - it has nothing to do with him leaving and everything to do with the way he played well within himself. I think the difference is I have watched him since he was a teenager and he was better then than he ever played for us.}


3.) 24 May 2021
24 May 2021 11:40:58
That's right RR, several posters on here have accused Wijnaldum of downing tools and giving up this season. They also claim he hides behind other other players and only plays well a few times a season.
Someone posted a long reply on Saturday about why Wijnaldum is so useless, when several posters, myself included defended Wijnaldum.

Of course not 1 Wijnaldum detractor can offer an explanation why Klopp has picked him nearly every game for 4 seasons. Klopp has continued to select him even in this season when he has apparently stopped making an effort.
There is absolutely no chance Klopp would ever pick a player who displayed ill discipline and a complete disregard for his own team mates by not trying.
This nonsense about Gini is an insult to both player and manager. Thankfully, judging by the scenes after Sundays game, Gini team mates and manager appreciate him far more than some posters here.

{Ed001's Note - no they like him as a person, which everyone does as he is a genuinely nice guy. That's what gets those kind of scenes when it is a friend leaving, not a colleague, no matter how great.}


4.) 24 May 2021
24 May 2021 12:32:08
Two slightly different elements to this I think. One is the question of whether Wijnaldum has been good for us generally during his time here. I think there has been negativity about Wijnaldum for a lot longer than just the last six months.

The other element is the question of whether he's "downed tools" since he knew he was leaving. Who knows, maybe without even knowing about it his performance levels have been affected, maybe that's just human nature, but I think the suggestion of willful lack of effort or commitment is just crazy.

Anonymous Woolback - I just can't agree with that. You're effectively saying that we had all of that glory because Wijnaldum was playing well, and then we had that terrible 14 match streak mid-season because Wijnaldum wasn't playing well? i. e. we're a one man team and Wijnaldum is so good and so important for us that we win the league and Champions League because he's on his game and we lose six on the bounce at home because he's not on his game? Come on.

And if this debate is so boring to you, maybe don't participate in it. just a thought.


5.) 24 May 2021
24 May 2021 12:40:42
Greenflash why has klopp tried to sell him for the last 2 year then. His performances have dropped and it’s clear to see.


6.) 24 May 2021
24 May 2021 13:36:04
I don’t think i’ve seen anybody other than Ed001 try and argue that he maybe hasn’t been a good player for us. Almost everyone, including myself, has upheld the belief that he has been a good player for Liverpool. What people take issue with is the total absence of effort or caring since Christmas, at a time in which the team needed him to step up and take charge more than ever.

Nobody has claimed he is ‘useless’, and nobody has argued he didn’t deserve a good send off. I can provide a good explanation to why Klopp has picked him for 4 seasons, it is that he is a decent player and nobody has ever argued otherwise. It is incessant Wijnaldum drum banging posters such as yourselves who can’t provide a well balanced response to anybody else beyond ‘you all clearly hate him and Klopp picks him every game so you must be wrong’. Klopp has tried to replace him 3 times, hasn’t moved mountains to keep him and hasn’t had the luxury of destabilising the team any further due to injuries, as Klopp has already referenced when talking about Ox. I’m still waiting for a genuine response or counter point to the criticisms of how he had actually been playing, all I see instead are falsehoods and invalid responses to arguments that haven’t been made.

Some of you clearly just can’t be bothered to read the posts and once again are putting forward responses to criticisms and claims that aren’t even being made. I’m starting to think you guys are on the wind up. It is bordering on cretinous, i don’t think i’ve ever seen a player been defended so passionately for any reason, never mind one who hasn’t tried in about five months.

It is boring, it is tiresome, and it is now irrelevant. He has left. If we aren’t allowed to talk about any other topics without this constantly being brought up, without people being accused of literally abusing a player just because they took issue with his recent lack of effort, then can the Wijnaldum fanboys please sod off to the page of whatever team it is he happens to move to next, and support them instead.


7.) 24 May 2021
24 May 2021 14:44:15
Meanwhile your response is that Gini was the single main reason for our demise since Jan-March, which is quite laughable really. Was it Gini missing all the chances or at fault for all the goals? I think not. Even during that time there were options to replace him if he wasn't bothered about putting a shift in but guess what Klopp STILL played him.
Gini was playing in a team from front to back that didn't play well during that time (maybe Salah excluded) . I've seen nearly every player criticised for there performances during that time from Allison to Bobby.
Also with respect you have replied twice to this thread so 100% more than most, so you are contributing to this "tiresome" thread. If you don't want to join in the debate then don't. that's your choice but not yours to decide for everyone else! Do you ever talk about Saurez, Coutinho, The King and any other ex player?


8.) 24 May 2021
24 May 2021 14:44:56
He’s a player that plays almost every game, every season and your criticism is that he has lacked effort since Christmas, in a C.V. season where games are frequent. Maybe Wijnaldum is just knackered, Robertson’s form tailed off the second half of the season as did lots of players. These guys are human beings not machines. I’ve never seen Wijnaldum give less than 100%.


9.) 24 May 2021
24 May 2021 14:52:08
A lot of players haven’t had a good season AW.
Some for personal reasons obviously.
Don’t forget that Wijnaldum is having to uproot his family and home and move on when he maybe didn’t want to. That’s very unsettling, especially if it causing issues at home.
Moving home is one of the most stressful things out there, I know these guys have people that help them with that but it would still do anyone’s head in.


10.) 24 May 2021
24 May 2021 15:23:06
He’s been a good player, not a great one by any means though.
But you only have to watch back on a few games this season and don’t watch the game, watch Gini, watch how little effort he puts in, watch him actively hide behind opponents so the pass isn’t on, watch the press fail because of him, watch him hold onto the ball with his head down when a pass is on, watch him play it safe over and over, watch him never make runs into the box, never go for headers etc.
I wish him the best but we won’t miss him next season. We missed him this season, the Gini that was always putting in a shift and was reliable. That Gini wasn’t here this season.


11.) 24 May 2021
24 May 2021 16:13:49
Gini will be remembered as part of the team that brought us no19. Could he have done a bit more? Yes. But. His ability to keep possession was remarkable, he didn't make mistakes and his lung bursting runs forward in the last 10 mins of games to take the pressure off suggest he was a good player for us. A lot of people will talk about the 2 goals vs Barcelona but I thought he was really good when thrust into the false9 role at the Camp Nou in the first leg. He was also excellent in the away leg at City when he had to play as a no6, with Henderson out. And let's not forget he played really well as a third centre-back in one game - I think it was in a 5-1 win at Brighton. Finally he was a mainstay in the first XI ahead of Milner, Ox, Naby and Lallana- another sign of a player Klopp trusted. We wish him well and hope he comes back to visit as a former hero.


12.) 24 May 2021
24 May 2021 16:22:02
I wish Gini all the best, he’s given us some good years, this season has seen a drop off, but that’s in context of largely being asked to do things in midfield that maybe he’s not good at, like being a holding midfielder while either Henderson or Fabinho have been covering at CB, I think there may have been an element of playing within himself to prevent injury, but I guess that is understandable. I do think that there wasn’t a tremendous amount of other midfield options available to Klopp, and secondly he still put in better performances than Naby Keita even if he was playing within himself. Maybe if Klopp had gone with Phillips and Williams earlier his performances might have been better with Fab or Hendo in midfield alongside him? Who knows? It’s too late to speculate on that and pretty irrelevant as the season is over, Gini has left and we’ve at least salvaged the champions league. All in all he’s repaid his transfer fee with interest as four trophies will confirm.


13.) 24 May 2021
24 May 2021 16:31:10
Gini was annoying in that he very seldom took on responsibility or took hold of a match, too often he left it to Hendo or Firmino to make things happen. At 0-0 yesterday there was a cracking chance for him to have a shot from 20yrds but he played it safe across to Mane instead and the chance was gone. That summed him up.


14.) 24 May 2021
24 May 2021 16:48:38
If Klopp thought he was good enough for us and played him ahead of others that is good enough for me.
If Klopp wants to try another option for the future then I trust him in his judgement.
I'll miss Gini and he was part of many happy memories for this team.


15.) 24 May 2021
24 May 2021 16:56:54
AW, I am certainly no Wijnaldum fan boy, but you need some perspective. You now allege that Wijnaldum is the single biggest reason that the whole team tanked in the period from christmas to March.
Losing all our central defence, then our midfield seriously impacted by having to plug gaps in defence, and our strikers unable to convert numerous chances, not to mention the whole team has looked completely knackered, but all those reasons are secondary to Wijnaldum making no effort since Xmas.
You may not have called Wijnaldum 'useless' but that is clearly what you implied by saying he could'nt be bothered since xmas.
Your suggestion that Klopp only kept picking him as he did not want to destabilise the team further is plain wrong.
Klopp would never continue to select a player who stopped making an effort for the team, as that is a serious breach of discipline, furthermore there were options for Liverpool, even if it meant picking from the youth. I am certain every fan would prefer to see a less talented kid trying his best than a professional who could'nt be bothered.


16.) 24 May 2021
24 May 2021 17:09:50
After reading all the negative comments regarding Gini, I have to ask myself, who do I trust the most, posters on here, Ed 1 or Klopp who picked him almost every game. No contest.


17.) 24 May 2021
24 May 2021 17:34:10
Ed1 you can’t compare the Gini of 10 years ago to the Gini of today. He was a number 10 and a winger but Klopp turned him into a controlling midfield player who has been integral to the way our midfield works.
Is he exciting to watch? Probably not but I always laugh when people talk about a lack of creativity in our midfield. It shows a total lack of knowledge of our system and how it works. We need people like Gini. His ball retention is exceptional which allows the full backs to bomb on knowing it’s unlikely he will lose the ball and the space they leave be exploited.
Him, Hendo and Fabinho made a perfect engine room for the way we play with their anticipation and ball retention. It’s the reason we’ve struggled every time we’ve tried to put a creative midfielder in there. They play more risky passes or movements which leaves us exposed when the full backs go forward. It’s also why Thiago has struggled and Jones finds it difficult. You could add Keita to that too.
Since Hendo and Fabs have been either injured or in the back 4 Gini has struggled as he’s the only midfielder who can play the way we play. It’s a difficult job and he’s done it very well.


18.) 24 May 2021
24 May 2021 18:18:04
Let us look forward. Gini has gone, Keita (hopefully) will be going, so will Origi.
I would like to see Minamino, Gujic, Shaqiri and Oblak staying.
Back up is needed. Injuries happen.

So. Who replaces Wijnaldum?

Another central defender, midfielder and striker are needed.

I know it is expensive but a big squad these days is essential.
Otherwise February when injuries take their toll. Will be difficult, as it was this year.

That is the game today.


19.) 24 May 2021
24 May 2021 19:49:58
I was grateful for his contribution in the games that mattered but nobody can deny he went missing a lot, even in games we won he developed a habit of going backwards too much, cracking lad, sound footballer, but a loss? Im not sure he is but I suppose we'll see, there's no point playing superfan about it though, this is an opinions and rumours page after all, if someone rates him fine, if someone hates him also fine, it doesn't make anyone superior as a fan, its just opinions,
Also just a side note, nobody REALLY knows what went off behind closed doors regarding his contract, to me i thought he downed tools a bit but got better later on in the season, but the same comment could be levelled at a few throughout the season too.
Its done now, we got CL, we move on and let's see what sort of transfer window we get.
YNWA.