Georginio Wijnaldum made an extraordinary confession after Liverpool's 5-1 demolition of Brighton on Saturday.

You hear certain things after football matches once the players are wheeled in front of reporters and asked how things went.

Most of the time these could just be done using a soundboard, pushing the corresponding button to get the response of "we worked hard" or "I didn't have a good view of it" wherever applicable.

Other times you might get a series of "no comments" or one-word answers - then there's the classic "focusing on the next game and nothing more". Basically, it's very dull.

One you don't get very often, however, and certainly not expected after the team has just won 5-1, is a player saying they had no idea what they were doing.

With Joel Matip out injured until New Year, and Ragnar Klavan ill, Jurgen Klopp found himself needing to try something new at the back.

The solution was to play two recognised midfielders, Emre Can and Wijnaldum, in defence alongside Dejan Lovren.

"The manager was running out of options and he picked me and Emre," said Wijnaldum after the game. "It was really hard in the first half because I didn't know what to do every time.

"We were training a day before the game. [Jurgen Klopp] didn't tell me, he just picked the team and he told me I was at the back. Normally I am a player who can play in different positions, but never in defence.

"It was difficult, especially in the first half, because I have never played there. But the manager was running out of options with players who were sick, so Emre and I had to play there.

"For Emre it wasn't that different because he has played there before, but for me it was difficult because you need to know when to close spaces."

Wijnaldum doesn't exactly scream 'centre-back' given his 5ft 9in frame, so it's little surprise that the position was new to him. The real surprise is how effective it was, with Liverpool thriving in a 3-4-3 formation with only one recognised centre back.

While the future for the Dutchman is likely still in midfield, Klopp has suddenly found himself with more defensive options than he thought he had.