Liverpool’s form has been so erratic in 2022/23 that almost all of their players could do with a kickstart as the campaign heads towards the home straight.
For instance, Mohamed Salah might be the Reds’ top scorer in all competitions, with his strike in Wednesday's 2-0 home win over Wolves his 20th of the season, but has his lowest goals per 90 minutes rate in league football since he was a 21-year-old with Basel.
At the back, Virgil van Dijk has been below his imperious best at times, Ibrahima Konate has only started five league matches while Trent Alexander-Arnold has just one more Premier League assist than Alisson Becker.
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There could probably be an article along these lines written for every member of Liverpool’s midfield, save for Stefan Bajcetic, the teenager who hadn’t started a senior match prior to November. It’s certainly been an interesting season for Harvey Elliott, though, and an unheralded partnership he holds with a team-mate could benefit them both between now and the end of May.
Prior to Liverpool’s recent 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace, Joe Gomez had been in the match day squad for every single fixture this term. However, a muscle injury meant he was unavailable for the trip to Selhurst Park, which left Elliott as the only player to be involved consistently throughout 2022/23.
The 19-year-old has made an appearance in every game, too, which is remarkable when recalling the horrendous injury he suffered at Leeds last season. However, after accumulating regular starts throughout the first half of the season, Elliott was only a substitute in the five games between the 3-0 loss at Wolves and the Palace match before returning for the midweek victory over the Molineux outfit.
If there are concerns regarding his performances this season, it isn’t with goals; only Salah, Darwin Nunez and Roberto Firmino have outscored him, and barring a miracle in Madrid the campaign is almost three-quarters through. It is mildly disappointing that Elliott has only registered a single assist – for Nunez against Southampton – though much like Alexander-Arnold his team-mates’ wastefulness means his creativity has not been fully rewarded.
The midfielder is effectively having an inverse of the season that Diogo Jota is enduring in the above three senses. The Portuguese forward has been unavailable for selection for 24 matches this season, which is only narrowly behind Arthur Melo and Luis Diaz at the wrong end of the Liverpool injury list.
When he has been fit to play, Jota has found time to set up six goals (the joint-third most among the squad), thanks mainly to teeing up Salah for his record-breaking Ibrox hat-trick. Yet he is on a goalscoring drought stretching back almost a year.
The 2-0 win over Wolves continued the theme, with Elliott having a big chance while Jota set up another goal. The good news for both is that history suggests their link-up could solve problems for both players.
The Liverpool number 19 has created eight Opta-defined clear-cut chances since the start of last season and three of them have been for the former Wolves man, more than for any other player. This despite Elliott already spending more time on the pitch with Nunez than he has with Jota, and almost three times as much with Salah.
The golden opportunities have come about in different circumstances, too. The first of them occurred in an FA Cup tie with Norwich City last season. Elliott crossed from inside the box in front of the Kop but Jota was unable to steer his header on target.
The duo then fashioned the first clear-cut chance either side had when the Reds beat Manchester City 1-0 last October, with a header being saved in that instance. More recently, Elliott played in Jota during the final minute of the 2-0 win at Newcastle United, but the opportunity went begging once again.
It makes sense that this unlikely pair could be so productive together. The midfielder frequently shows up in lists of the most progressive young passers in the big leagues while Jota, when fully fit and firing, is one of the best finishers around. Hopefully the next time they combine their respective assist and goal concerns can be dismissed.
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