Divock Origi. What should Liverpool do with him now?
That was the question everyone was left with after last week’s 0-2 home defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League. Origi started the game and was utterly abject, plodding around the pitch largely without purpose until he was replaced. His only contribution that I can recall was to lose the ball in midfield once, then sit down and complain that he was fouled. Other than that he did zilch, zip, nada.
The bigger problem is that this was neither new nor unexpected, really. Seeing his name on the teamsheet usually brings forth a frustrated ‘oh god why?’ from supporters. Myself included. For a long time now, Divock Origi has offered nothing to Liverpool.
How, then, can he hang on? The answer to that is that found at the business end of the 2018/19 season, when Origi repeatedly emerged from the bench to score a vital goal in a time of need.
He did it in the 96th minute against Everton.
He did it late on against Newcastle, to secure a seemingly vital win in Liverpool’s ultimately doomed title challenge.
He did it with a legendary double against Barcelona in the semi-final Champions League.
He did it against Tottenham in the final, to seal the trophy for Liverpool.
These feats have served to make him a cult hero at Anfield, much like Ragnar Klavan was.
Ragnar Klavan was (well, he is, I suppose, seeing as he’s neither retired nor dead) an Estonian central defender, signed early in Klopp’s reign to sit on the bench most of the time – which he did well. His cult hero status comes from his scoring of a late winner for Liverpool against Burnley at Turf Moor.
Cult hero status is, in short, for those who are beloved by the Anfield faithful for one reason or another, but who are not actually very good.
Translation: Divock Origi isn’t very good. He is loved for his goals, not his ability.
Perhaps, then, his Liverpool career can be best summarised by dodgy piece of poetry:
Over the years
You’ve done more than your bit
But dear God Divock
You ain’t half shit.
I wrote that.
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