Wijnaldum: Picking up points more valuable than performance

Gini Wijnaldum saying picking up points is the most important thing in the early stages of the new season and the good performances will soon follow.

Liverpool blew newly promoted Norwich away in the first 45 minutes of the season, but it is fair to say since then that they have struggled to reach that level, grinding their way to wins against Chelsea in the Super Cup and Southampton on Saturday.

The Mirror reported the Dutch midfielder as saying:

“ It is encouraging that we are getting results without being in top form.

“It is important, especially at this time of the season, that you collect as many points as possible because basically, you have to improve during the season and that is what are trying to do and what we want to do.

“But it is also important to collect as many as points until you are at your best. 

“It is really important that we have won the game at Southampton.

The 28 year-old said that in today's football it is hard to play well for the full game.

“I don’t think you always see a team play well for 90 minutes, we just have to make sure we win games.

“You have to use your quality and your experience and still try to win the game. 

“That is more important than playing well over the whole 90 minutes because that is really impossible.”

Liverpool will come up against a buoyant Arsenal outfit who have also won their first two games of the league season.

Wijnaldum says it is hard to predict the final finishing order so early in a campaign, however he knows the Gunners will provide a stern test on Saturday evening.

“It is difficult to say who will be up there but we must see how the season goes for them but also us.

“Everyone says we will finish first or second but we must still show it and perform at the end of the season.

“We have to make sure we deal with the situations and give everything we have.

"They made some good signings but they were always a good team.”