Harvey Elliott appears to have found his perfect position at Liverpool. The teenager was lively against Rangers as the Reds won 7-1.
Earlier this week, Ian Wright was wondering where Jurgen Klopp could play Harvey Elliott in the Reds’ 4-4-2. There were now fewer midfield roles, after all, and Mohamed Salah had the right flank sewn up.
“Where’s Harvey Elliott going to play in that midfield?” Wright asked on the Kelly and Wrighty show. “He’s not going to be a Jordan Henderson who goes and fills in for Trent [Alexander-Arnold]; he’s a more creative midfielder.”
It was a legitimate concern. Elliott is a creative player and not someone who should drop deep and plug defensive gaps all game long. You want him searching for spaces between the lines.
Well, Klopp left Salah on the bench against Rangers and put Elliott on the right flank. In doing so, he might have found the teenager’s perfect position.
Harvey Elliott finds the perfect position
We commented on Wright’s concerns by saying Elliott might struggle in the wide midfield/wing role. He lacks pace, after all, and that could leave Liverpool quite slow.
And in truth, that’s largely what happened at Ibrox. Darwin Nunez was the only quick player in the starting XI and that made things a little tricky for Liverpool. Things did get livelier once both Salah and Diogo Jota were on the pitch, though.
But we saw enough from Elliott to believe that wide-right is his ideal position. It’s not a full-on winger role, for one, and Elliott can play it more like the midfield role he’s been playing under Klopp.
The teenager has the freedom to drop very deep to pick up the ball, to drift in off the flank and constantly find space to receive the ball. The double-striker system means there’s no pressure on the winger to threaten as a goalscorer – Elliott can play the playmaker all game long.
And there were very encouraging signs. Elliott made a few fantastic runs straight through the middle of the pitch as Rangers weren’t sure how to mark him. He could drift and link up with three other forwards, too, and was on the brink of creating some great chances.
With Salah showing just how dangerous he is as a striker, Elliott might find more games as a winger. It would necessitate more pace up front but Liverpool can find that. In return, the youngster allows for a more compact midfield that can play through the lines in ways the out-and-out wingers don’t allow for.
It’s exactly the kind of role Elliott needs – absolute freedom to find space and plenty of players to create for.
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