Wijnaldum isn't a deep-lying CM, he's an AM / LW and he's being neutered by being shoe-horned into playing as a defensive midfielder, how is that playing to his strengths of speed and the potential for adding to our goal-scoring ? Play him in his best position(s) or don't play him. This is not getting Dahoud (or A.N.Other) coming back to bite us.One of the biggest criticisms of him at Newcastle was that he was a bit of a luxury. He's a talented player and Rafa reckoned he was best suited to the left of the front three, or off the striker, but the Newcastle fans basically said that he only turned up when he wanted to and he didn't work nearly hard enough to be part of a central midfield. Nothing I've seen since has made me think any different, he's a bit of a roamer offering literally no protection to his midfield partner.
I hate to say it but I fear he's a bit too much of a passenger and a luxury that a side like this can't afford. We really needed a backbone instilling over the Summer and midfield is one of key areas where that strength as lacking. Have we addressed it with Wijnaldum?
To add to that Henderson may be done, the injuries he's had having too much impact to recover from. He's been showing signs of a potential recovery but yesterday was awful yet again and I think his time as a starter may be coming to an end.
Grujic's time may come sooner rather than later, same may be said of Ejaria who's probably, even at 18 yrs old, our 2nd best defensive-minded midfielder, which says something !