Divock Origi: Stronger Than Ever

Last year, Divock Origi came to age under Klopp. The player that had been voted Ligue 1's worst player the prior season had flourished since the German's arrival. Under Klopp, Origi had scored 5 goals. He was looking to be the striker to unseat Daniel Sturridge from that role. Oh and the fans were behind him. All the Liverpool fans wanted Origi to succeed. He was only 20 at the time and had shown flashes of being the cornerstone for Liverpool to build upon. Then disaster struck. Against hated rival Everton, Origi got caught on a nasty tackle from Everton defender Funes Mori. The ankle injury would hobble Origi for 25 days, but luckily the injury did not require surgery. Still many Liverpool fans doubted that Origi could get back to the level he was prior to that injury. We saw him against Sevilla and he lacked that explosiveness that he showed. As this campaign dragged on, Origi often found himself not being used. That was until a Countinho was injured. Now Origi has been thrust into the starting lineup and oh boy has he succeeded. In fact he looks better than ever. 

Originally Origi was considered a flop. Another Rodgers flop transfer. Of course the loan spell in Ligue 1 didn't help the perception. In addition the striker position was crowded with players: Sterling, Sturridge, Balotelli, and at a point Benteke were all ahead of him in selection. Despite the fact that Origi had the potential to be better than all of them. Rodgers never let Origi truly shine or play in a beneficial system. Then enter Jurgen Klopp. Klopp reformed Origi. Allowed the young Belgian to shine in e gegenpressing system. Just go look the Crystal Palace match from last year. Origi came off the bench and 35 seconds later had scored a goal. In fact Origi ended last campaign looking like the clear favorite to replace Sturridge as the number 1 striker at Liverpool.

That was until a horrific tackle. With Liverpool winning in a throughly dominant fashion against Merseyside rival Everton, defender Funes Mori  landed a nasty tackle in Origi despite the fact that the match was out of hand. There was no need for Funes Mori to take such an angle or even attack Origi. Yet there Origi laid writhing in pain as every Liverpool fan held their collective breath. Under Klopp, Origi had transformed into being the striker that Sturridge should have been. It looked like The trio of Origi, Coutinho, and Firmino would be the core to carry Liverpool to Europa League glory. But that all seemed to fade that day in April.  If the injury was severe enough, it could have destroyed Origi's career. Could have ended it even. Luckily Divock did not need surgery and was back a few weeks later in the Europa League final. However, it was clear that Divock had lost a step. That the ankle injury had limited him. A player like Divock Origi relies on not only his speed, but the ability to cut and pivot. That abili throws defenders off balance. On top of that Klopp's gegenpressing requires a player to be the picture of physical health. Needless to say, the ankle injury hampers all of that. 

It appeared that Origi was not even healthy to start this season. Or atleast Jurgen did not want Origi to reaggrivate that same injury. Divock struggled to crack any playing time to start this season. Sure he would make an appearance here or there in the EEL cup, but for whatever reason he struggled to make the team sheet for Liverpool to start the year. Perhaps it was that Klopp had gone away from the idea of a pure prototypical striker. Firmino had essentially had replaced the need for a true striker in Klopp's 4-3-3 formation. So that is why Origi had only made a few appearances this season. But then Coutinho, the heart and soul of Liverpool, went down with an injury. One that would keep him out until January. There was a sense of dread  amongst Liveprool fans. That the campaign that looked so promising was going to end. 

Enter Origi. Since Coutinho's injury, Divock has scored in 5 of the 6 matches that he appeared in. He has 7 goals in all comeptitions which is more than he scored last year.  This includes a spectacular goal against Bournemouth. In fact Divock has looked even stronger this premier league season than he did last year. The addition of Mane has seemingly benefitted Origi the most. Divock no longer has to be the pace setter or burner. That is what Mane is for. Instead Origi can afford to be patient and create. Divock also appears to be physically stronger. Being able to pressure and move the defenders off the ball. That was something that was missing from his game. Divock has seemingly evolved under Klopp and is starting to reach the potential that Rodgers saw in the Belgian in the first place. This is incredible from where fans thought he was as he laid on the pitch in April. It is good to see this young player blossom into one of the better strikers Liverpool has had since Suarez.

 If Divock can continue to evolve he will become one of the best players in the premier league. As a Liverpool fan, the combination of Mane and Origi is especially intriguing. Plus the rise of Origi gives Liverpool an extra advantage: the Reds no longer have to rush Coutinho back.   The rise of Divock allows Liverpool to rest their star and make sure that he is 100 % healthy. If Divock continues at this pace, then Liverpool's title challenge will still remain high.