Liverpool have a great new replacement who has already made a big impression this season and he could have a big chance against LASK in the Europa League.
During his Liverpool career, striker Divock Origi scored twelve goals coming off the bench, placing him fourth on the club’s all-time list alongside winger Ryan Babel.
All have been managed by Jürgen Klopp and some are among the most memorable.
There was of course the bizarre injury-time winner against Everton in December 2018, the header against Newcastle five minutes from time the following May to secure a 3-2 victory and keep the title race alive, and the winning goal. at the end of the Champions League final against Tottenham Hotspur.
Origi left Liverpool when his contract expired at the end of the 2021/22 season, having completed a final heroic act as a 94th-minute substitute against Wolves in December.
The Belgian was the ultimate super-sub and Liverpool failed to find a worthy successor in his absence last year.
At the end of February we noted that no Liverpool player had been sent off the bench in more than two competitive matches.
This year, however, Klopp may have found a match-winner of a different kind among his reserves.
Harvey Elliott isn’t necessarily likely to find the net on his own, but he has made a significant impact despite him falling down the pecking order following Liverpool’s spending spree in the summer.
Elliott, who started 18 Premier League games last season, has had to settle for cameos in each of the first five games this season.
He averaged 25 minutes per game and played just 27.3% of the Reds’ overall football.
He is the only player to have appeared in every match and among only two players to have made more than two substitute appearances (alongside Darwin Núñez – four).
However, Liverpool have already gained five points after Elliott’s introduction, coming from behind to beat Newcastle last month and then scoring twice to beat Wolves on Saturday.
In total, Klopp’s side have outscored their opponents by four goals in the youngster’s 123 minutes of play, an increase of 2.93 per 90 minutes.
And it’s no coincidence: it was Elliott who collected the ball and launched the attack that led to Núñez’s winning goal at St James’ Park, and it was Elliott who scored with a deflected shot from the edge of the pitch for the points awarded to Molineux. area.
The numbers clearly show that he only played a leading role in short appearances.
He recorded more touches (64) than Curtis Jones (62), who started two games, and completed more passes (51) than Cody Gakpo (49), who started four. Of Liverpool’s midfielders, only Dominik Szoboszlai made more passes into the final third (four vs. three), received more progressive passes (20 vs. eight) and received more shots (10 vs. four).
It’s worth noting that matches typically go on longer in the closing stages, giving players like Elliott more space to operate, while in Saturday’s game against Wolves Liverpool saw their opponents drop back and dominate possession, making the game is easier. take the ball in the first half.
But on the other hand it must be said that Elliott appeared twice when Liverpool were ten men, and still stood out.
Naturally, the 20-year-old will be eager to start matches and he will feel he has earned the right based on these displays, however brief.
The good news for him, however, is that he appears to be fit for Thursday’s Europa League opener against LASK, with Klopp set to switch sides.
He impresses there and his manager could reward him with a first start of the season against West Ham next weekend.
