Arne Slot has got very little wrong since arriving at Liverpool – the fact the Reds are on the verge of claiming the Premier League title in his first season in charge is testimony to that. That’s not to say he has got everything right though.
Although some rival fans – and indeed, some prominent members of the media – would have you believe otherwise, Slot’s first year in charge at Anfield should absolutely go down as a success. Considering what was being predicted before he’d even taken charge of his first game, to come out on top of the pile in England is a monumental achievement.
At the moment though, it is a little hard not to feel like an even bigger opportunity has been missed after Liverpool’s exit from the Champions League at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, followed just a few days later by what was a rather dismal showing against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final.
That display at Wembley did where Slot has gone wrong this season. His over-reliance on his first-choice players has led to some of his biggest names, like Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch, looking like they’re running on empty, while the likes of Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa demonstrated exactly what they can offer when they’re given a chance.
Elliott will be feeling particularly hard done-by with his lack of game time under Slot this season. The 21-year-old ended last season as one of Liverpool’s most in-form players, leading Jurgen Klopp to reflect on his treatment of the former Fulham star as the Reds’ title change fell apart.
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“It’s not that I go back and think ‘okay, what did we all do wrong?’,” Klopp said. “But if I regret one thing a little bit it’s that Harvey didn’t play often enough maybe. Because in a very important, intense period – January, a lot of injuries – he played really good. He was probably our best player, right wing, right midfield, all these kinds of things.”
Only one player made more appearances than Elliott during Klopp’s last season in charge, yet the German still felt he should have been given more time out on the pitch. Seeing him left on the periphery for much of this season then will have come as a surprise, and it’s perhaps no wonder that he has been left frustrated at times.
(Image: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
“There are moments within the season where I am getting angry, I am getting frustrated because I want to play, but at the same time I need to respect the situation, I need to respect the manager’s decisions,” Elliott said after scoring the winner in the first leg against PSG. Some games I’m needed, some games I’m not. That’s just how football is.”
That is indeed the case, but there is certainly an argument to be made that Slot should have given Elliott more playing time this season – if nothing else, just to rest up some of his players. Hopefully the Liverpool boss can learn from the past week, and not be left with the same regrets as Klopp in the future.
