Liverpool secured a 2-1 win against Southampton in the quarter-final of the EFL Cup.
The Reds are having a tremendous season. Many people expected a period of transition under Arne Slot, but he has hit the ground running.
Liverpool are on top of the Premier League and the Champions League tables, and they are now through to the semi-final of the EFL Cup as well.
Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott scored against the Saints on Wednesday night, and Slot has made an interesting claim about the latter.
Arne Slot thought Harvey Elliott got ‘bored’ during Southampton vs Liverpool
Liverpool were the favourites to win the game against Southampton despite the changes Slot made to his starting lineup.
The likes of Elliott, Trey Nyoni, Tyler Morten and Wataru Endo all got rare opportunities, and all of them played fairly well.
Elliott, however, was the standout performer thanks to his goal.
The Englishman has missed most of this season due to injury. He returned to full fitness recently and got his first start of the campaign on Wednesday night.
Elliott started on the right-wing, but Slot moved him to a more central role very soon. He has now revealed why.
“Harvey already had a good impact in the game at the weekend against Fulham, so it was good to see he is able to play 90 for him today and even score a goal,” Slot said, as per Liverpool’s official website.
“Started him off on the right, I felt he almost got a bit bored and didn’t touch the ball a lot, so after 15-20 minutes we changed his [position] and were playing him in the midfield.
“We know he is a better midfielder than he is a winger, but we had to do it like this. So that was pleasing to see.”
One trait Elliott possesses makes him a big threat at Liverpool
Before the game against the Saints, Elliott had played just 33 minutes of football in all competitions this season.
A foot injury kept Elliott out of the side for over two months. The 21-year-old is back now, and his goal against the Saints will give him a lot of confidence.
Liverpool have looked brilliant with the players they’ve had from the start of this season, but we think Elliott will offer Slot a different option in the coming weeks and months.
His versatility of being able to play in midfield as well as out wide makes him a big threat, and his availability now is great news for the Reds.
It will be interesting to see if Slot will give Elliott a start against Tottenham on Sunday following his performance against the Saints. He could thrive in an open game.
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