Why Wijnaldum is a very different player for Netherlands compared to Liverpool

The hiatus from EPL football is unwelcome as far as most supporters and players are concerned, with the difference in standard and competition being stark in comparison to club ventures. For Wijnaldum, though, things seem different.

The Dutchman scored more goals for Holland in 41 minutes on Sunday than he has in 869 competitive minutes for Liverpool so far this season, and this was no freak occurrence.

Since Ronald Koeman's appointment in February 2018, Wijnaldum has scored seven goals in around 1430 minutes of international football.

That's a goal roughly every 204 minutes, which is a little worse than one goal in every two matches.

For perspective, Wijnaldum has amassed around 12500 minutes in all competitions since being signed by the Reds in 2016, with only 18 goals bagged under Jurgen Klopp.

That means he's found the net roughly once every eight matches while wearing red.

He's the same player, but the difference in his output is staggering, so is there an underlying reason?

Wijnaldum is an incredibly versatile player, with a profile that is adaptable based on the requirements at hand. In December 2017 for example, the Dutch international played an entire match as a centre-back for Klopp as Liverpool ran out 5-1 winners over Brighton.

The 28 year-old is still primarily a midfielder, but he's tasked with fulfilling alternative roles for club and country in terms of what he's responsible for on the pitch.

At Anfield, he's predominantly tasked with a role that is based on control.

Klopp has the likes of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold at his disposal to contribute offensively.

To retain balance, the midfield players in Klopp's favoured 4-3-3 have to prioritise safety to ensure that defensive stability is retained whenever the ball is lost.

Pep Ljinders referenced this while speaking in his press conference recently ahead of facing MK Dons, as he was asked how Liverpool have developed since he returned: "We made some adjustments, by having our full-backs more involved in the attack and by having our midfielders more in control."

Koeman on the other hand, doesn't have players amongst his ranks with the offensive quality of Liverpool's attackers, and especially their full-backs.

Donyell Malen, Quincy Promes and Steven Bergwijn started against Belarus on Sunday, and although those players are good, they aren't Liverpool standard. In addition, Koeman played Daley Blind as his left-back, and Joel Veltman as his right-back, with neither of those being quick, creative or threatening in the final third.

Thus, rather than instructing his full-backs to attack, Koeman used Wijnaldum.

The Dutch boss opts for 4-2-3-1 more often than not, with the Liverpool man deployed as a no.10 ahead of a midfield pairing.

When assuming this role, Wijnaldum's responsibilities change, as he's required to become one of the players in the team that is expected to contribute with a goal or an assist.

Consequently, he may make penetrating forward runs into the box when a national teammate has possession, whereas for his club, he'll instead opt to remain behind the ball while operating more cautiously.

The Dutch international is the same player, but it's simply a case of him being versatile enough to become whatever his team needs him to be.

The offensive firepower at Liverpool determines what he's required to do at club level, whereas the lack of such threat at international level has the adverse effect.