Jamie Carragher was surprised by what Jurgen Klopp did with one of his Liverpool players against Crystal Palace today.
This was not the reaction Liverpool were looking towards after a disappointing run of results recently. From the draw at Old Trafford to the defeat to Atalanta, yet another defeat was the last thing Jurgen Klopp needed.
But it’s what he got. Liverpool were disappointing against Crystal Palace. Not only were the Reds slow in their build-up and toothless in front of goal, they were too easy to counter against.
Crystal Palace got in behind the Liverpool defence far too often, and hurt Liverpool. Especially at the beginning of the game.
That led to Liverpool conceding within the first 15 minutes. Tyrick Mitchell ran past a few Liverpool players and squared it to Eberechi Eze, who was completely unmarked inside the box.
Jamie Carragher on how Klopp’s Harvey Elliott decision ‘surprised’ him
In the second-half, Liverpool marginally improved due to a flurry of changes made by Jurgen Klopp. Dominik Szoboszlai, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Cody Gakpo coming on all made a positive impact.
But even so, Liverpool were still struggling to get back into the game. The Reds continued to chase and squander opportunities in the second-half.
Meanwhile, Klopp kept his biggest game changer,who has made an impact every time he has come on this season on the bench. All the way until the 82nd minute.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ commentary, Jamie Carragher said he was surprised by Klopp’s decision to not bring on Elliott earlier.
“He has been really impressive from the bench this season, Harvey Elliott,” Carragher said.
“I am surprised it has taken until the 82nd minute for him to come on.”
Harvey Elliott’s impressive numbers this season
Elliott has been in great form this season, and he has caught the eye with some really good performances.
In total, he has made 10 goal contributions for Liverpool this season, and half of them have come off the bench (5). This doesn’t include the penalty he won against Manchester United last weekend to help Liverpool secure a point at Old Trafford.
Given those numbers, you would think he deserved to come on sooner. We have to agree with Carragher on this one.