Liverpool’s victory against Wolves extended their unbeaten run, but there is still room for improvement.
Liverpool secured a 3-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday lunchtime, but had the hosts taken their chances in the first half the full-time story would have been very different.
The Reds were slow and lethargic early on and Wolves took the opportunity to launch a series of attacks – led by the irrepressible Pedro Neto – who delivered a superb cross for Hwang Hee-chan’s opener inside seven minutes.
The Portuguese should have had a second assist, but Matheus Cunha failed to convert his poor shot.
When the Brazilian missed a golden opportunity to extend their lead, Liverpool received encouragement from Mohamed Salah and Jürgen Klopp’s substitutes Luis Diaz, Harvey Elliott and Darwin Núñez, and made a big impact, contributing to a comeback in the second half.
While that trio held the plaudits for their impact from the bench, youngster Jarell Quansah quietly disappeared and performed admirably on his debut.
How did Jarell Quansah perform against Wolves?
Quansah was the latest gem discovered by Liverpool’s academy on Saturday, following in the footsteps of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones and Stefan Bajcetic in recent times.
In the absence of Virgil van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold, the 20-year-old was called into a makeshift defensive line and although some younger players would have cracked under pressure, Quansah shined like a diamond in the rough, notably during the first match. half, as Liverpool’s disorganized defense faced an onslaught from Wolves, the attacks had to be dealt with.
Given the situation he found himself in, it was the baptism of fire the young player needed and one that particularly impressed him after Wolves took the lead.
Reflecting on the Englishman’s performance, Klopp said: “I have to say he did very well. He was good,
“He was calm even in possession of the ball. It was as if we had met in the car park shortly before the match with the organization of the first half. But he played very well.”
While the German boasted of his possession prowess, Quansah made 91 touches, recorded a pass completion rate of 96% and placed all three of his long balls accurately, according to Sofascore.
Quansah’s defensive skills were also excellent. He won three of his four ground duels, made three tackles, two interceptions and dribbled just once.
Following this performance, the young defender received high praise for the way he performed considering his young age, with Joe Cole saying: “He looked like he had been in the Liverpool first team for decades”.
Hailed as “absolutely phenomenal” by fellow academy graduate Alexander-Arnold, Quansah is the latest star to roll off the Melwood assembly line, but he is not the only talent to have risen through the Reds’ senior team in recent years. time.
When thrust into the spotlight last season, 18-year-old Bajcetic made an even bigger impact than Quansah.
How good is Stefan Bajcetic?
A destructive and combative defensive midfielder described by journalist Zubin Daver as “special”, Bajcetic emerged last season and did an extraordinary job in protecting the Reds’ defence.
Before his season-ending injury in March, the 6-foot-1 titan impressed with his aggressive nature, ability to regain possession and quickly put his team ahead.
He ranked in the top 7% for blocked dribblers and in the top 12% for interceptions. according to FBref, 13% better for aerials won and 28% better for ball recoveries than players in a similar position to him in the Premier League last season.
Throughout the season so far, Liverpool have lacked a destructive player in the center of the park, someone capable of protecting the defence, breaking up play effectively and bringing it up the field with purpose.
Although Wataru Endo was brought to the club for that role, the Japan international is still getting used to English football and has rarely featured since the 2-1 win over Newcastle.
Instead of deploying Endo, Klopp chose to deploy Alexis Mac Allister in the deep-lying attacking midfield role, but this left the Reds exposed on the counterattack, with the Argentine at risk of being overtaken up the pitch.
That said, as demonstrated by his 15 appearances for the club last season, Bajcetic is the ruthless, tenacious and aggressive midfielder that Liverpool lacked in the engine room.
After his excellent performance in the Merseyside derby in February, his teammate Salah reinforced the point by praising the teenager: “Since he started playing for us he is perhaps our best player.
I hope he keeps that confidence and keeps going.”
The fact that Salah described him as their best player during this period shows the high level of respect he has within the club and that he had a permanent place in the team before his injury.
Bajcetic had a huge impact on Liverpool before his injury and if Klopp releases him again he could solve the midfield’s current problem and show why he is a bigger talent than Quansah.
