Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp talks about Harvey Elliott’s performance as a forward against Wolves

An unfamiliar position for Harvey Elliott, at least this season, against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Third Round Replay of the FA Cup paid off for Liverpool with the 19-year-old scoring the lone goal in the game, handing the Reds a win against Julen Lopetegui’s side.

Starting in the right wing, the player played through the wing and central channels as the game went on. Even though the player is a natural winger, he has not had as many chances in that position for Liverpool. Mohamed Salah is a guaranteed starter in that role, and hence, Harvey sees himself cornered to play advanced midfield roles instead.

It wasn’t necessarily a gamble per se, but the manager took a chance and it certainly paid off. Overall, great performance from the Reds and the pressing made it seem like the Old Liverpool was back. Hopefully, the form continues for as long as possible. The gaffer spoke about Elliott’s impact on the game.

Speaking to the club’s official website, here is what gaffer Klopp talked about when it came to Elliott playing as a forward:

“When he plays well, I like him everywhere, so that’s easy. But both wingers did well. Especially Fabio, I don’t know when he played last time, so he did really well. And Harvey, from that position you need to score goals, that’s clear. For us, we had tonight, if you want, one striker on the pitch and he played slightly deeper in a lot of moments but that’s very important.”

“What Harvey had to do today, that’s very important. Both wingers had to do that, plus the nine had to do that. We had to defend properly and to defend compact, and whoever is ready to do that is more than welcome to start wherever we will be.”

Delight for Klopp

The gaffer also spoke about the impact of Fabio Carvalho on the game, who himself was playing after a very long time. It was good to see a young lineup play well and get their well-deserved win. Back in midfield where the actual problems are for the Reds, Stefan Bajcetic was extremely effective and the Spaniard for sure is in for a great future if he keeps up the consistency.

Speaking of Elliott, this was long overdue as the player’s efforts in matches did not see the output in terms of goals and assists but this goal from the player changes a lot, and hopefully, the 19-year-old Englishman gains a lot of confidence from this performance and carries on his form.

With this performance, Elliott surely increases his chances of starting the game against Chelsea this weekend and the lineup in the Premier League certainly needs a shuffle for a change as the Reds’ last win in the competition came on 26th December against Aston Villa.

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A string of positive results can help turn around the team’s form and give them a chance to climb up the league table and achieve their goals for the season which obviously remains qualification for the UEFA Champions League.