Harvey Elliott made a mistake.
It was in the lead-up to Brentford’s second goal during Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat on Monday night. Instead of taking control of the ball, he stepped over it, Brentford won back possession, and Yoane Wissa scored.
Elliott didn’t return to the field for the second half. Instead, the 19-year-old was replaced by Naby Keita.
It was not Elliott’s finest display. The mistake cost Liverpool, but it was one that any player could make, and Elliott is a young footballer still learning his trade — he needs to be given the leeway to make mistakes.
Elliott is also a precocious talent who Liverpool have believed in since his arrival from Fulham in 2019. This season Klopp is picking him more than ever. Elliott is the one Liverpool player to have featured in all 26 games.
More game time in a struggling team means a greater risk of criticism. There is no place to hide in Liverpool’s midfield, which is being overrun too easily at times; it is not sturdy, but that’s not because of Elliott.
The teenager, who signed renewed terms with the club last summer, is a creative player who likes to dribble, pass and shoot. He is attack-minded. He wants to get on the ball and make things happen.
Harvey Elliott with Robert Firmino after scoring against Ajax in October (Photo: Dean Mouhtaropoulos via Getty Images)
Defensively, however, he needs to improve. He is still developing, and how to become more of a disruptive force is among the things he will likely be working on in training.
His positional awareness also needs to get better. He is instinctive when moving forward but when getting back he looks less certain — even if he does run in both directions with the same energy.
Liverpool are struggling, so instead of being a shining hope for the future, Elliott is slowly being exposed on the pitch.
Criticism is mounting; heightened because midfield is where reinforcement is needed. The gap between youth and experience needs bridging. Elliott is one of the younger players — along with Curtis Jones, Fabio Carvalho and more recently Stefan Bajcetic — who will help close that gap, but his best work will be on display more so in the seasons to come.
There are ways Klopp and Co can help shield Elliott from this growing criticism, such as being more selective about when to play him, or playing him in a different position so Liverpool can look at how to get the best out of him.
When you watch Elliott, his skill set means he looks more suited to being a winger or a play-making No 10 than he does a right-sided midfielder. During his loan in 2020-21 for Blackburn Rovers, he played in numerous roles and dominated games in the Championship. His favoured position? On the right flank.
But Liverpool have Mohamed Salah. He will not be going anywhere soon. The right of midfield then just feels like the next best place at the moment.
Imagine, though, if Elliott had played on the left wing against Brentford, in place of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 10 years his senior, who in turn took Elliott’s place on the right of midfield. Would that have shored things up?
These questions are easy in hindsight. But right now Elliott is playing in a midfield that has not looked itself, and even if it will make him a better player in the long term, he and Liverpool are paying for it in the short term.
Liverpool need defensive nous in midfield ahead of attacking intellect. They need to stabilise and stop being open; they need to stop being so easy to break through, because it puts stress on the back line and makes them look weaker than they should be.
If Elliott continues to start in midfield, he will continue to struggle because he is not an all-rounder. That’s not to say he won’t be in the future, but at this moment it is clear his strengths lay further up the pitch.
He is “a real talent” as Klopp has said, with so much potential. But Liverpool need to protect that talent because, with each passing week, we are beginning to lose sight of the reasons why Elliott is so good at football.
(Top photo: Shaun Botterill via Getty Images)
