Salah becomes Klopp concern
Harvey Elliott would be forgiven for thinking he deserved better. Having produced arguably his best Liverpool performance as the matchwinner in the FA Cup at Wolves in midweek, the 19-year-old was among those who retained his place.
Except, rather than lining up on the right where he so impressed at Molineux, Elliott was shunted on to the opposite flank to allow for the return of Mohamed Salah down the right with Cody Gakpo up top.
It was a big ask. In such an unaccustomed position, the youngster struggled, not helped – particularly in the first half – by some wayward passing from his team-mates.
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Elliott is still learning his trade, in the same way Gakpo – who improved as the game progressed, even if some of his snatched finishing suggests he is trying a bit too hard to impress – is adapting to his new surrounds. They will improve.
Instead, the chief concern for Klopp must be to get Salah firing again. There was good sense in having him up against Marc Cucurella, and he caused the defensively-resistant Chelsea man problems.
The issue was that it wasn’t often enough, Liverpool unable to bring Salah into the game sufficiently, the Egyptian with just one goal in six games, matching a similar run at the start of the campaign.
Perhaps moving Salah to a central position could help, not least given the busy late cameo by the fit-again Darwin Nunez down the left that emphasised what had been missed in the Uruguayan’s brief absence.
Thiago takes new role
Thiago Alcantara as a midfield enforcer is not what Liverpool supporters were expecting when the silky Spaniard arrived more than two years ago.
But needs must, and with the Reds engine room having spluttered horribly in recent times, so Thiago has assumed the extra responsibility with relish.
While not quite as dominating performance as at Wolves in midweek – there were, as Klopp later pointed out, too many wayward passes – his tenacity, work-rate and willingness to inject tempo into Liverpool’s play again made him their most impressive performer in the centre of the field. No Reds player made more tackles.
Klopp stuck with the trio that started on Tuesday night, and both Naby Keita and Stefan Bajcetic found matters somewhat more difficult.
Bajcetic will have learned much from a demanding first Premier League start, but did not look overawed. And the disciplined manner in which he negotiated the game after a first-half booking was commendable.
Keita similarly didn’t hit the same heights but has some mitigation in this being a second start in five days after seven months without any.
And in their late stints from the bench, both Fabinho and Jordan Henderson appeared players with points to prove. Solving the midfield conundrum will be an intriguing and vital job for Klopp in the coming weeks.
Champions League ‘taunt’
The electronic hoardings around the Anfield pitch were almost taunting Liverpool.
During the game, they flashed up with an advertisement for a broadcaster proclaiming the return of the Champions League next month.
And the growing reality is, even with half of the Premier League season to play, the Reds’ best hope of ensuring their continuing presence in the competition is by navigating holders Real Madrid in the last 16 en route to winning the trophy.
Not that there should be any discussion of the top four among the Reds ranks at present. Klopp this week called for a return to basics, and that applies to their immediate ambitions. They simply have to take one game at a time and use each one as a foundation.
The Liverpool boss is already on board, claiming afterwards this dreary draw was a little step in the right direction. After the horror of the reverse at Brighton and Hove Albion the previous weekend, it’s difficult to argue against.
Dwelling on the negatives now will be counter-productive for the Liverpool squad. The Reds boss knows the road back towards the top will be a long one – and positivity is going to be pivotal.
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