Jürgen Klopp should end Liverpool experiment as surprise call may change Harvey Elliott verdict

Now, Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp should have recognized sufficient reasons to forgo a position change at Anfield, thereby enhancing the prospects of Harvey Elliott, an underappreciated midfielder.

Prior to Sunday’s Premier League match against Brentford, it appeared that Liverpool’s midfield was in fine form. Alexis Mac Allister’s suspension and Curtis Jones’ injury rendered Wataru Endſ the obvious choice to start at number six. Additionally, following Ryan Gravenberch’s minor injury, the only available number eights were Dominik Szoboszlai and Harvey Elliott.

In contrast, Jürgen Klopp unexpectedly selected Cody Gakpo for the midfield position while relegating Elliott to the bench. This could have been due to the fact that the latter had completed approximately 100 minutes in France on Thursday, when Liverpool lost 3-2 to Toulouse in the Europa League, whereas the former had been substituted thirty minutes earlier.

It was also possibly customised to this specific opponent; in fact, this was Gakpo’s first start since this same match last season, when he made his debut as an eight, alongside Diogo Jota, Darwin Núñez, and Mohamed Salah. The fact that Brentford is one of the league’s most direct and physical sides suited 6ft 2in Gakpo better than the relatively diminutive Elliott.

In any case, Elliott would have been extremely frustrated by Klopp’s rejection. Due to an accumulation of ailments, he has started just one Premier League match this season (and that was at halftime against Brighton last month), and he was unable to even make the starting lineup.

The Gakpo substitution appeared to be successful, as Liverpool recorded three goals and maintained a spotless sheet. On closer inspection, however, it becomes clear that the Dutchman had difficulty making an impact on the contest.

He failed to generate a single opportunity and ranked eighth among Liverpool’s outfielders in terms of touches (41) and passes completed (29). Neither was he particularly efficient on the defensive end of the ball, as evidenced by his solitary tackle and interception.

In the scant portions of Gakpo’s life that we have had as an eight, this has recurred. Against Chelsea and Bournemouth, the 24-year-old started both of Liverpool’s first two games of the season. However, he finished last among the team’s starting outfielders in terms of touches in both contests and completed fewer passes than substitute Curtis Jones in the first. Including Sunday’s match, Gakpo’s cumulative expected goal contributions in the position stand at 0.4. This figure suggests that he is encountering difficulties in providing the offensive threat that Klopp undoubtedly anticipated from him since reintroducing him as a false nine.

Although there were encouraging indications in the match against Brentford last season, subsequent performances indicate that the Gakpo midfield experiment should be abandoned in favor of relying on Elliott in similar situations.

The Englishman has performed admirably in his role as a super-sub throughout the majority of the season; however, despite coming on for the final ten minutes on Sunday, his chances of starting games may have improved.