Wijnaldum on intensity and the need to stay competitive

Georginio Wijnaldum has spoken about Liverpool’s recent tough run of matches and believes the club must embrace the intensity in order to stay on top of it all.

The Reds played Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain, Southampton, Chelsea (twice), Napoli and Manchester City between the September and October international breaks in what was a difficult period for the team and manager Jurgen Klopp.

Liverpool go into the next round of international matches third in the Premier League but level on points with City and Chelsea, with everything still to play for in their Champions League group.

Wijnaldum recognises, however, that the remainder of the season will throw up plenty more tough periods, and the Liverpool squad will need to stay competitive throughout.

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LONDON, ENGLAND, September 15: Gini Wijnaldum scores against Tottenham during Liverpool’s match with Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium on September 15, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

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“It was really intense. We already knew it would happen,” Wijnaldum told Liverpoolfc.com.

“We were trying to prepare as well as possible for this period because you have to be fresh, full of confidence and stay positive.

“It means you play for something if you play a lot of games: Champions League, the cups and the Premier League. Every team in the Premier League wants that, but it’s only for a few of them. We have to embrace it.

“We already knew what we had to do if we want to compete to win something. Last season, City only lost two games and played a few draws.

“It’s a good way to start the season. But we have to make sure we manage it until the end of the season to keep it like this. At the end of the season, you can make sure you can win something, not at the beginning of the season. We just have to make sure it stays like that.”

Wijnaldum also believes the draw with City was a fair result.

“It’s a good point. It was a really difficult game. It was a game between two teams who have respect for each other,” said the No.5.

“There were not a lot of chances in the game; at the end, we were lucky they missed the penalty. Overall, a draw is a deserved result.”

Wijnaldum has been an almost ever-present player for Liverpool this season, putting in a string of all-action performances to retain his place in the starting XI.

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Source: anfieldhq.com