A man for the occasion during his time at Liverpool, Divock Origi’s experience at Anfield promises to serve Stefano Pioli and Milan well, writes Matt Santangelo.
The Milan project in its current form has been built on fledging youth to its very core. As one of Europe’s most intriguing sides, bright-eyed young stars such as Rafael Leão, Theo Hernandez, Sandro Tonali and Fikayo Tomori have lent large hands in the recent run of success back to the top of Italy with the first Scudetto in e11 years.
While these top talents have garnered much of the attention and transfer market attraction, one would be remiss to overlook the impact of the savvy, battle-tested veterans whose valuable experiences cannot be slapped with a price tag.
Along with Simon Kjaer, the Rossoneri brought Zlatan Ibrahimović back, followed by Olivier Giroud for a meagre fee last summer from Chelsea. Aged 38 and 34 respectively at the time of their deals, these two globe-trotting winning strikers provided a profound impact in the
changing room, on the training ground and on match-day.
Through his own experience under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, theaim for new signing Origi, beyond goal production, is to further foster the winning culture we have begun to see once again at Milan.
The Belgium international helped play a pivotal role in various trophy successes over the years at Anfield. Though often utilised as a rotational attacking piece for Klopp to implement as he saw fit, the 27-year old Origi seldom looked out of place or unprepared for the German coach’s heavy-metal football.
Comprised of high-pressing, incisive passing and intense commitment to movement, this style requires specific qualities for those playing in order for it to render positive results. For Origi, tactically, technically and physically, he has proven amore than capable of making the
commitment.
Origi’s athleticism and work-rate should be value-added commodities to Pioli’s 4-2-3-1. His younger legs have far less tread on them than Ibrahimović and Giroud, and his profile differs from the two as he can drift all over the front line.
Off the ball, the ability and desire to press to win it back high up the pitch and in dangerous areas will nurture more chances for both himself and the supporting cast. However, it is hard to look past the many moments of pure ecstasy Origi enjoyed as a catalyst for his former club, and the weight behind his timely performances.
Between that goal in the 2019 Champions League semi-final comeback at Anfield against Barcelona and his impressive body of work as an effective super-sub in the Premier League, Origi has clearly proven to be a man for the big occasion.
The manner in which he is regarded as a cult hero speaks to his professionalism and reflects on the impact he set in representing a top club.
Origi’s role at Milan will likely differ from his Liverpool days as he projects to receive a substantial increase in minutes. How he maximises his minutes remains to be seen.
What we do know is with Origi walking through the doors of Milanello, Pioli will welcome a resourceful, attacking player with a big-game mentality and, as experience shows, a knack for delivering when it matters most.