Neco Williams finally got his moment to build on after his display against Ajax. The teenager has struggled for form in recent weeks.
Neco Williams grabbed himself an assist against Ajax on Tuesday. It ended up being decisive, too, as the Reds won 1-0 and qualified from their Champions League group.
He desperately need that.
Williams hasn’t played well recently, despite a run of games in the side. The teenager has given the ball away consistently, conceded a penalty, and looked quite out of his depth at times.
Ahead of the Ajax game, we had a look at three potential reasons why Williams is struggling. This isn’t the confident teenager who burst onto the scene last year, after all. There must be a reason for his poor form.
Really, it all boils down to Williams being under more pressure. That could be from expectation, it could be from high-tempo games – it could be anything.
What Williams really needed, then, was a positive and decisive impact on a game. He got exactly that against Ajax.
Match-winner
Curtis Jones toed in the winner to beat Ajax but it came from Williams’ cross. There was certainly an element of fortune about it, of course.
My Revenge On Ben Foster
Andre Onana decided to leave the cross, allowing Jones to nip around and get on the end of it. Williams, then, perhaps shouldn’t have got the assist and Onana could have dealt with it – but that doesn’t stop it being a great delivery.
Williams forced the Cameroonian to make a decision by getting the ball into a dangerous area with pace. Onana made the wrong one twice – firstly, deciding to come out for it, and then for trying to leave it.
Yes, Williams has done similar before that didn’t come off but it’s a reminder to him that he does possess the ability to influence top-level games.
That comes along with the belief that he belongs and possesses quality that helps Liverpool.
This is a player Jurgen Klopp has down as a ‘machine’ with his ability to learn. Williams got exactly the learning experience he needed against Ajax.
And hopefully, that will give him exactly what he needed to kick on once again.