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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Keifer MacDonald

Jurgen Klopp could unleash Borussia Dortmund plan with Liverpool teenager key

The exquisite touch to cushion the sinking ball was followed by a delicate swizzle and an emphatic strike which almost ripped the net from the Kop-end goal.

That was, of course, how Harvey Elliott announced his comeback from a nightmare six-month spell between September 2021 and February 2022.

Since his move to Liverpool in the summer of 2019, it's fair to say Elliott's time at the club has been nothing short of a whirlwind.

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During the 2019/20 campaign, his first in the red of Liverpool, the midfielder was handed his Premier League debut in the January against Sheffield United, just days before playing a starring role in the remarkable 1-0 FA Cup third-round win over Everton.

And by the time the curtain had been drawn on the covid-stricken season, the then 17-year-old had a Premier League winners' medal draped around his neck.

It was quite the preface to senior football for Elliott, who had only a handful of senior games under his belt as he spent most of his first year on Merseyside turning out for the club's under-23s side.

The dazzling aptitude which was offered up during his handful of cameos led to Elliott making his first serious strides in the senior game during a breathtaking 2020/21 loan campaign at Blackburn Rovers, which catapulted the teenager's stock exponentially and handed J urgen Klopp a premature dilemma ahead of the new season.

Keep the then 18-year-old around at Kirkby and monitor his development closely or send him on a more progressive loan in a bid to increase his minutes?

As it transpired, the early promise of Elliott's 2021/22 season was brutally halted during its infancy when he was on the end of a hefty challenge by Leeds' Pascal Struijk - the dislocated ankle that he suffered would keep him out of action for six months.

And following the recent clamour on social media for newly-appointed sporting director Julian Ward to pursue a deal to bring another midfielder to Anfield this summer, it seems Elliott's early impact during the opening stages of last season has been somewhat forgotten.

The immense impression he made on the first-team coaches during the pre-season trips to Austria and France was discovered when he was given the nod ahead of Thiago Alcantara for Chelsea's visit to Anfield last August. Klopp had opted to reward the youngster for his fine showing against Burnley, on the right-hand side of a midfield three, the week before.

It was in midfield against the Clarets where he superbly linked up with Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Sadio Mane - showing tactical understanding beyond his years - to help orchestrate a remarkable second goal of the afternoon as Liverpool's early-season silk saw them climb to the summit of the Premier League.

It was a positional tweak not many would have foreseen for Elliott just months after he had become Rovers' free-scoring winger in the Championship, but desperate to shoehorn his way into Klopp's side, Elliott grasped any opportunity he could and even sought advice for Mohamed Salah during a conversation in the canteen.

By the end of their chat, Salah had advised the youngster to cut down on the amount of bread he eats if he was serious about becoming a committed athlete. Although it may appear to be all tongue and cheek between the pair, Elliott's mentality, at such a tender age, to become the best version of himself is what was fundamental to his excellent early season form last campaign.

"Yesterday, I also heard a story that Mo and Harvey Elliott were sitting with each other in the dining area,” said Lijnders. “Harvey had some bread and some fruit on his plate and Mo asked him how many slices of bread he’d already had that day.

“He said one and Mo told him to only eat the fruit! Harvey told me, ‘I’m always learning from these guys!’.

Those beliefs about the special mentality the 19-year-old holds were echoed by his manager, Klopp, following his extraordinary comeback in February: “Probably his biggest talent is how ready mentally he is for all the stuff out there,” Klopp told Liverpoolfc.com. “He is a kid, yes, but on the pitch not so much."

Truth be told, the second half of the season was not how Elliott would have envisioned it after his stellar return at Anfield in February. There was a start at the San Siro in the first leg of the Champions League round-of-16 tie and 41 minutes in the League Cup final against Chelsea, but that's about as good as it got for the youngster as he was left chomping at the bit from afar.

A mere two Premier League starts since his return to fitness would have mistakenly indicated to supporters that Elliott had started to fall down the pecking order at Anfield as he was overlooked on numerous occasions during Liverpool's hunt for an unprecedented quadruple.

Though, following Sadio Mane's confirmed departure to Bayern Munich earlier this week, Elliott has the chance to stake a firm claim for a starring role in Liverpool's next tactical evolution over the coming season.

The signing of Darwin Nunez has indicated that Klopp could be willing to abandon his famed 4-3-3 style of play - which has served him and his players exceptionally over a four-year period - in favour of a more conventional attacking approach as they look to wrestle the Premier League title back from Manchester City.

The German's unwavering loyalty to a 4-2-3-1 formation has already been verified after he stormed the Bundesliga with his all-encompassing Borussia Dortmund side and toppled Bayern Munich not once, but twice 10 years ago.

But any decision to rekindle a love affair with such formation at Anfield will no doubt be influenced by Elliott's prominent versatility - having played on the right, middle and left during his time in senior football thus far - he has all the tools to assist Liverpool's transition into a new era. It is expected that Klopp could have an endless list of positions available for the youngster in the upcoming campaign, which will no doubt help his transition into a potential 4-2-3-1.

Despite featuring in just 13 games in all competitions last season, only Alexander-Arnold averaged more passes into the opponents' box (per 90) than Elliott's 2.44. Additionally, no offensive player in Liverpool's squad averaged more shot-creating actions (per 90) than the 4.90 the Reds' No.67 managed - with Luis Diaz ranking closely behind the youngster with an impressive 4.56.

Evidently assured in possession in and around the final third, Elliott has a clear awareness and mastery to take up dangerous half-spaces between the lines - similarly to Phillippe Coutinho during his Liverpool days - which could point to his best long-term position at Anfield, playing off the striker in Klopp's go-to system.

Having said that, Klopp could realistically end up employing Elliott in as many as five positions across a catalogue of formations next season as a result of the 19-year-old having proved he can be trusted with the tactical side of the game, which was amplified by his immense rotation in the build-up to Sadio Mane's strike against Burnley last August.

And while Elliott finds himself in perhaps a frustrating and uncertain predicament, like Curtis Jones, where he is yet to stamp his authority on a set position in the Reds' squad, at this moment that could potentially be his biggest asset ahead of a this summer's tactical revamp.

One thing that is for sure, though, is wherever Elliott finds himself situated over the course of the 2022/23 season, if he plays his cards right he could evolve into one of Klopp's key components in Liverpool's new quest for sustained glory.

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