Sunday 23 June 2019 14:39, UK
Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum says Liverpool's ability to win matches when they were not at their best last season is an indication of the club's evolution.
The Champions League victory in May secured manager Jurgen Klopp his first trophy since taking charge in 2015, while the Reds finished just one point behind Manchester City in the Premier League with 97 points.
Despite struggling to consistently challenge for trophies in recent years, Wjinaldum believes their last campaign showed how far Liverpool have progressed both technically and mentally.
"We have evolved a lot," Wijnaldum told Liverpool's official website. "You can see it not only with the results but also with the way we were playing. We grew during the season.
"We started really well and we managed to win difficult games where in the past it was quite difficult, and if we didn't play really well we didn't win the games that were really tough.
"But this season we managed to win those games. We learned a lot. Everyone is a better player than they were before."
Much of the improvement will be credited to manager Klopp, but Wijnaldum believes one of his team-mates was key to Liverpool's success.
Virgil van Dijk played a major role in the league's best defence and went on to claim the PFA Players' Player of the Year award.
"What has impressed me the most with Virgil is that he's consistent, he barely makes a mistake," Wijnaldum said of his fellow Netherlands international.
"He developed really well at Celtic and Southampton and Liverpool, he developed a lot.
"What also impressed me is that other players play better when he plays; the defenders next to him defend better, the players in front of him play better because when you play and you know he's behind you, you have a safe feeling."
