Liverpool have struck gold on “special” Anfield star

The chasmic gap between Liverpool and second-place Arsenal helped cushion that fall bred from James Tarkowski’s last-gasp equaliser in the Merseyside derby.

Everton fought tooth and nail to prevent Arne Slot’s side from leaving with three points, deflating a Liverpool crowd that had begun to make merry, giddy at the thought of being nine points clear. They’ll have to settle for seven.

With Trent Alexander-Arnold and Curtis Jones both dealing with injury issues in recent weeks, the Scouse-born pairing were named as substitutes. Curiously, the Goodison Park clash was the first in Liverpool’s history not to feature an Englishman in the starting line-up.

Drawing that in, Liverpool have rarely been without a Liverpudlian, such is the strength of the city’s DNA at Anfield.

Liverpool’s Merseyside connection

There always seems to be a Liverpool-born superstar in the club’s first team. Latterly, Alexander-Arnold has been the homegrown poster boy, but Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher came before him, winning the Champions League under Rafa Benitez.

Toxteth native Robbie Fowler scored 183 goals across 369 appearances for Liverpool, though, like Carragher, he grew up supporting Everton.

There are many more. Jayden Danns’ clinical shooting suggests that he could be the next wiz to establish himself as a mainstay, but credit has surely got to go to the aforementioned Jones, a midfielder who often falls below the parameters of praise.

Jones’ steady accession to a regular role in the team hasn’t been without its bumps. Injuries and chequered bouts of form have acted as his sticking point.

However, the England international has been hailed by Slot for his “complete” qualities, ranking among the top 1% of centre-midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 4% for assists and the top 14% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.

Oh, his skill in ball retention might be taken a little too literally sometimes, failing to release the ball with perfect swiftness at times, but there’s little question that Jones is a valued and useful member of the squad.

His heart beats red. This much was evidenced when he took umbrage at Abdoulaye Doucoure’s excessive celebrations in front of the away end during Wednesday’s meeting.

His intervention has spelt a return to the sidelines, however, for he was shown a second yellow card by referee Michael Oliver. He’s not the only young prospect to have broken in, however, with Harvey Elliott looking like he might shape into an even better midfielder than his 23-year-old counterpart.

Liverpool’s “special” rising star

Elliott isn’t from Liverpool, but he was indoctrinated into supporting the Merseysiders from a young age by his father. It made the decision to leave Fulham at age 16 and sign for Kirkby Academy a rather straightforward choice.

That was in 2019. Liverpool had to pay a £4m tribunal fee for Fulham’s young talent but it’s proved to be worth the expenditure. Always regarded for his skilful dribbling and pinpoint passing under Klopp’s wing, Elliott has really come into his own over the past few years, even if he has been limited in Slot’s system so far.

Described as a “special talent” by The Athletic’s James Pearce, Elliott has been recorded by FBref to rank among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists and shot-creating actions, the top 7% for progressive passes and the top 6% for progressive carries per 90.

Kevin De Bruyne and Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham are among the diminutive player’s most comparable players, so say FBref.

Elliott has only played 16 matches for Liverpool this season but he’s still bagged three goals – two in the Champions League – while also providing the late assist as his team won at Brentford in January.

The onus is now on Slot to utilise Elliott’s strengths over the coming months. His creative spark will be important. Oh, you could draw upon the 21-year-old’s poor performance at Plymouth Argyle, but how many times has he provided Liverpool with something different from the middle of the park, or the wing?

Picture this: it’s May 2024. Klopp’s getting ready to hang up the boots, so to speak, and he reveals that he regrets not playing Elliott more often.

It was a difficult campaign, laden with the weight of so many injuries, but this young playmaker stepped up, proved his worth among seasoned superstars.

Already, Elliott has a market price of £40m – as per Football Transfers – which marks an increase of 900%, in relation to his initial £4m asking price.

Rumours bobbed to the surface like rotten apples pertaining to Elliott’s potential exit given his lack of first-team action this term, but it’s understood that Liverpool have no plans on parting ways with such a gifted young ace, even if he’d fetch a neat fee.

He might not be a city native, but Elliott is very much one of Liverpool’s best young players to have stepped from the academy and onto the major stage.

It’s sometimes easy to forget that he’s still so young, and has played more games for Liverpool than Raheem Sterling did (129).

Slot has hit the jackpot on this mercurial midfielder – let’s just hope that it all comes together and he plays a central part in Liverpool’s football over the coming years.