The progression from Jurgen Klopp to Arne Slot‘s football has come as second nature for many of Liverpool’s players. Harvey Elliott, however, is one of the few who haven’t yet reached their previous heights under the new boss.
Liverpool have been close to perfect for much of the 2024/25 season, but a draw against Man United and a Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg loss to Tottenham showed the first signs of problems that Slot will have to solve.
As with any game when Liverpool dropped points, the 1-0 defeat in north London generated debate about what could have been done differently.
One particularly questioned decision was Slot’s choice to leave Elliott on the bench despite the players on the pitch not producing clear-cut chances.
It seems reasonable to ask why he wasn’t brought on for Curtis Jones on Wednesday, as the starter failed to create a single chance or produce a shot on goal across the 90 minutes.
Instead, Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s second-half introduction became the trigger for Liverpool to threaten the hosts’ goal more regularly.
Even the No. 66’s influence and dangerous crosses, though, weren’t enough to see the Reds score at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where they netted six just 18 days earlier.
Harvey Elliott’s lack of minutes under Arne Slot
One easy answer to the question of why Elliott didn’t come on is the fact he will almost certainly start against Accrington Stanley on Saturday.
However, this shouldn’t really have prevented him from being used against Tottenham given his non-necessity for rest having played so few minutes this campaign.
The decision not to put his trust in Elliott wasn’t a one-off from Slot. It follows a pattern of the coach not going out of his way to get the 21-year-old involved.
While he may not be getting much of a look-in at the moment, Elliott actually started life under the Dutchman brightly.
In Slot’s system that features one of the three midfielders playing a position akin to the No. 10 role, Elliott was the early choice in pre-season and appeared to suit the job.
Once the main men were back and the season had begun, though, Elliott was out of the picture and played just seven minutes across Liverpool’s first three league games.
Elliott wasn’t the only one having to bide his time at this point, as Slot made just two changes in his first five games as head coach.
By the time the boss began to rotate, Elliott had suffered a broken foot which kept him out of every matchday squad from September 14 until November 24.
His first and only start of the campaign to date was Liverpool’s 2-1 win at Southampton in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
Not enough time to make an impact
Perhaps Elliott’s bigger worries, though, lie in how he is being used from the bench.
Under Klopp the youngster became known for his impactful performances as a substitute, particularly in Klopp’s last year when he came on 26 times.
Of his four goals over the course of the 2023/24 campaign, two came during his 27 starts while the same number came in his appearances from the bench.
Those goals were crucial, too. The first was an injury-time winner away at Crystal Palace, and the second put Liverpool ahead in FA Cup extra time against Man United.
Since the 21-year-old’s return, Slot arguably hasn’t given Elliott enough time to make a difference as a substitute.
While he has come on in the last five Premier League games, the longest cameo was 16 minutes against an already-beaten West Ham team.
In fact, across seven league appearances this season, his minute tally comes to just 43 plus added time.
He understandably therefore hasn’t netted in the Premier League this season, but did score on the occasion of his only start against Southampton.
His goalscoring, of course, isn’t his strongest point. By self-admission, his main asset is creativity, something Liverpool could have done with from the bench against Man United and Tottenham.
Speaking to the Times, Elliott said: “I feel like that’s my strongest point, especially when it comes to the creativity side of things and the playmaking.
“That’s the position I play at England and I feel like I can really show my attributes. But on top of that, we have two other world-class No. 10s in Curtis and Dom.”
Amid reported interest from top-flight clubs in England and Germany, Elliott doesn’t appear to have any intention of giving up his fight for a spot.
“It’s not going to be easy at all,” he continued.
“It’s just about waiting for my moment, my opportunities and trying to take them with everything I have.
“On top of that, when I do get brought in, whether it’s as a sub or wherever I start, I just want to try to contribute for the team and be the best possible player I can.”
If there is one man to profit from Liverpool’s couple of poor results, it could be Elliott who now has a game against Accrington Stanley to remind his boss of what he could have been missing.
