Wijnaldum: Gotta Collect Those Points

Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Gini Wijnaldum isn’t fussed about the manner in which he scored the match-winner.

Points are a bit like Pokemon: you gotta catch ‘em all. So far, Liverpool have managed to scrap together what it’s taken to earn the full 21 points in their opening seven league fixtures. They’re top of the league, and one of only two teams in Premier League history to ever manage that feat. The record is held by Chelsea in 2005-06 when they won their first nine.

In their bid to wrest the Premier League title from holder Manchester City, the Reds will need all the points they can get. 97 wasn’t enough to bag the trophy last season, so who knows what miracles will be required this time around. Every point collected could end up being the point, the one that turns out to be the difference in May.

Gini Wijnaldum is well aware of his team’s task, and so when his shot dribbled off of Sheffield United goalkeeper Dean Henderson’s fingertips and into the goal in the match on Saturday, his overwhelming feeling must have been relief. It wasn’t pretty Saturday morning in South Yorkshire, but they got the job done.

“In the beginning of the season it’s good if you collect as many points as possible because normally during the season you progress – so hopefully we’re not at our best now but at the end of the season we will be,” Wijnaldum said after the match.

“That’s why it’s really good if you collect a lot of points right now and that’s what we’re doing. We didn’t start the game well. The manager showed us back what we did in the first half; we slowed the game down too much and that’s why they could stop our attacks. It was difficult.

“In the second half we tried to do it better but even then it was not the best game we had. But another win, that’s the most important thing. A few years ago we were struggling to win games like this. This season – and last season also – it’s going quite well.”

The games don’t stop from here. Next it’s an important Champions League match against Red Bull Salzburg on Wednesday, followed by a game against an in-form Leicester City on Saturday, both at Anfield.

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com