Liverpool excavated their new wijnaldum, and it’s not a Mac Allister

Liverpool is about to win their second Premier League title in the coming weeks.

The Reds have won the Premier League only once in the history of the competition, winning the 2019/20 campaign under Jurgen Klopp, and have no plans to secure a second protection.

Arne Slot is on the course to win the title in his first season as a British manager, arriving from Feyenord last summer.

Liverpool has entered the Dutch market in the past for players, whether it was directly from Eredivisy or not, and has now done so to find a great manager who has succeeded in the past on the play side of recruiting.

One of the Dutch recruits who did not come directly from the Netherlands’ top flights was essential to the success of their first Premier League title, as central midfielder Giorginio Wizinaldum played a key role.

Why Wijnaldum was essential to Liverpool’s title victory

The Dutch International played 37 of the club’s 38 Premier League matches, starting 35 of which.

Of the players starting at least one game, the Liverpool star did not complete a higher percentage of passes than Wijnaldum (90.8%).

He also built the play from midfield position with an average of 4.20 progressive passes and 2.27 progressive carry per 90 with progressive carrys.

Wijnaldum’s development at Anfield was interesting as he was signed by Newcastle United in the summer of 2016 from behind 11 goals and five assists in the MAGPIES Premier League during the 2015/16 campaign.

The Dutch star arrived in Liverpool as an offensive midfielder who proved his quality at the top end of the pitch on his previous club’s top flight, but Klopp developed him into an all-around midfielder who could become a solid choice as No. 8.

He finished his Liverpool career with just 22 goals. Four of them came to the Premier League with a campaign that won titles in 237 matches.

But that style change has become essential to the team he won the Klopp title. Because Wijnaldum was a consistent performer, his 35 start introduced hard yards to provide reliability and progression while providing quality to the ball.

Instead of being a consistent scorer or constantly creating opportunities, the former Newcastle star worked in the middle of the park without making too much noise.

Liverpool is currently unearthing a new version of Wijnaldum with their current team. It has his goals and assists in his final two matches despite his recent form of impressive form.

Liverpool unearthed their new Georginio Wijnaldum

Mac Allister arrived in Liverpool after scoring 10 goals in the Premier League for Brighton & Hove Albion in the 2022/23 campaign, but those six strikes came from the penalty spot.

This meant that Argentine International offered four goals and two assists on the non-penalty top flight before moving to Liverpool to become a balanced midfielder at Anfield.

Meanwhile, Dominik Szoboszlai scored 10 goals and provided 13 assists as RB Leipzig’s offensive midfielder in all competitions during the 2022/23 campaign before switching to England, with only two of those goals being penalties.

Hungary International arrives at Anfield as a highly promising offensive midfielder with the potential to provide goals and support, as Winaldum did when he joined from Newcastle, and follows the Dutchman path to becoming an all-rounder in the middle of the park.

Szoboszlai has so far scored eight goals in Liverpool’s 63 appearances in the Premier League and provided seven assists.

Since switching from Germany to the UK, the Hungarian Dynamo has been molded into the Reds’ perfect box-to-box midfielder, taking advantage of its incredible work rate and engine in the midfield rather than the ability to score and create goals.

He has started 24 of his 30 appearances in the Premier League so far, and interestingly provided more than Wijnaldum did during his title victory campaign under Klopp in some parts of the game as a midfielder.

As you can see from the chart above, Szoboszlai is much more creative with the use of balls than the Dutch, and has more possessions by making blocks, tackles and intercepts.

That chart shows the 24-year-old Liverpool star, who was told “unstopped” by Fabrizio Romano earlier this year, is a beautifully balanced midfield appearance as he can combine ball quality with hard work and defensive quality and become a key player in the park’s central slot.

As you can see in the table above, Szoboszlai still finds a way to incorporate his offensive qualities into his game with eight goal contributions, but they have not become popular during their time with Leipzig at Bundesliga.

Thus, Liverpool repeated the masterclass they performed on Wijnaldum, changing him from an offensively oriented midfielder to an all-around number 8.

Hopefully, the trophy will be the first of many titles in his Premier League career with the Reds.