OPINION
When Jurgen Klopp came to Liverpool, he promised “heavy metal football”; relentless, aggressive, fast, attacking play designed to unsettle and unnerve the opposition.
So far, he has certainly delivered on that promise.
According to WhoScored.com, the Reds rank second in the Premier League for their running statistics with the ball at their feet this season, while, as of March, as reported in the Mirror, they had made more sprints as a team than any other side in the division.
Running, clearly, is a key facet of the Reds’ game, and a player who can combine hard running with quality play must surely be regarded as a valuable asset for Klopp’s men.
That’s why an unexpected statistic on one of the Reds’ lesser seen talent could have a decent bearing on his future impact at the club.
According to a report in the Liverpool Echo, citing statistics from Opta, Liverpool’s fastest player this season was Divock Origi.
The Belgian clocked up a speed of 35.04 km/h, making him not only the fastest player at Anfield, but the eighth fastest in the league overall.
And that kind of stat surely cannot go unnoticed by the in charge at Melwood.
The £45,000-a-week striker [Spotrac] has been in fine form recently, and has chipped in with vital goals in the latter stages of the season to help his side through some tricky situations.
Add those goals to his hugely impressive running stats, and he must surely have a future on Merseyside.
Origi’s contract expires next year, but on the basis of this latest stat, he could still be a very valuable asset to the Kop.
