“Timing is really important . Divork was ready for this specific moment (replacing injured Philipe Coutinho and scoring against Sunderland some weeks ago).”
“He is still 21 and he hasn’t had the most match time in the last few months, so then he had no rhythm but he is always working, never moaning ,” were the exact words of Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp on Divork Okoth Origi some weeks ago.
Fast forward to tonight as Liverpool beat Aitor Karanka’s Middlesbrough 3-0 (second in the table, six points behind Chelsea who are leaders ) and Origi boasts five goals in five games in all competitions (Sunderland, Leeds, Bournemouth, West Ham and then Middlesbrough) making it easy for the Reds who seem not to really miss Coutinho’s goals as a result of the Belgian’s rich goalscoring form. It all seemed like a Fairytale for the then 19-year-old Lille striker who replaced injured Christian Benteke in the Belgian squad for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Origi will not only play in the Mundial but also score a goal making him the youngest scorer for his country in the process. A £10 million move to Liverpool will quickly follow in the summer after the World Cup although he was loaned back to Lille for the 2014/2015 season.
The Belgian will later join up with the Reds last season, playing second fiddle to both Danny Sturridge and compatriot Christian Benteke scoring 10 goals in 33 games in all competitions which still remains his career high. This season, with the sales of Benteke and Mario Balotelli, Origi has slowly climbed the ranking making himself the darling of Klopp and the fans working his socks off and scoring important goals in the process . This season , with Sturridge unable to play to Klopp’s high energetic and fluid attacking philosophy , the Belgian seems to be the direct alternative for the injured Coutinho. Having scored seven times in 17 games in all competitions this season , Origi is far above his peers for not only coping with the pressure of playing in a top European league and club but also effectively delivering on the field of play when called upon by his German manager .
To illustrate further , the striker’s stat for the Premier League game away at the Riverside (Middlesbrough) reveals he attempted three crosses succeeding with two (highest on the field in the night), creating two chances for his team mates and providing one assist and also having the highest number of shots scoring once. One thing so peculiar with the youngster is that he compensates for his poor decision making and final third passes with his work rate and ethics coupled with his accelerating pace, quick feet and trickery which has made it difficult for defenders to mark him. The forward also performs admirably in Klopp’s 4-3-3 formation due to his ability to switch positions with the likes of Sadio Mane and Roberto Firminio which again makes it difficult for defenders to mark him as the trio constantly swap positions during games.
At 21, many of Origi’s peers are still starting their careers or still finding their feet unable to even make first team appearances for small teams yet this isn’t the case with the forward who already has 21 caps for star studded Belgian national team with the likes of Eden Hazard, Dries Mertens, Kelvin De Bruyne, Christian Benteke and Romelu Lukaku to mention but a few.
For now though he still has a long way to go, Divork Okoth Origi is more than a gem as he continues to deliver when it matters.
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