Jurgen Klopp could not hide his excitement after Harvey Elliott returned to first team training last month.
Sidelined since September with a dislocated ankle, the 18-year-old was welcomed back with a trademark bear hug, with both the German and assistant manager Pep Lijnders admitting to the press in recent weeks that there had been a serious temptation to throw the midfielder straight back into action, such was the impression he made at the AXA Training Centre.
Yet they wisely resisted, not taking for granted the severity of injury and the length of time the former Fulham man has spent on the sidelines this season following that setback suffered against Leeds United at Elland Road.
Deciding to wait until after the winter international break to unleash the midfielder, Elliott’s return had been five months in the making with the midfielder itching at the bit to make up for lost time.
In his absence, Kaide Gordon had emerged as the latest exciting starlet. But the playmaker was back and reclaimed his stage, highlighting how he is a fully-fledged first team member while the former Derby County man remains a raw talent at the start of his journey.
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Introduced just shy of the hour-mark, Cardiff City didn’t know what hit them on Sunday. They never stood a chance.
Granted the warmest of receptions when replacing Naby Keita, just stepping back onto the pitch was a huge moment for Elliott. But he wanted more as a first goal in Liverpool colours swiftly followed.
Given his apparent impact in training had got Klopp excited to such an extent, it should perhaps be no surprise that the youngster managed to mark his playing return with a goal. And a beauty at that, as he brought down Andy Robertson’s cross before rifling into the bottom corner.
Such a moment was coming, with only Diogo Jota managing more than the youngster’s three shots on goal. And it was a moment the boyhood fan would have dreamt off ever since he was a little boy, and used as motivation to help spur him on during his rehabilitation.
Yet his impact went beyond that, with him registering 40 touches and 32 passes in 32 minutes of action. Takumi Minamino managed only five more passes and four more touches in his 69 minutes on the pitch, with the man he replaced, Naby Keita, recording 48 touches.
Essentially picking up where he left off in September, it was like he’d never been away as he linked up with Trent Alexander-Arnold on the right-hand side, flitting out wide or cutting inside into that inside-right role that he had made his own and shown the way for Klopp’s latest Liverpool revamp.
Throw in Mohamed Salah’s return after the Africa Cup of Nations final and Premier League and Champions League left-backs should be terrified.
It’s easy to forget Elliott is still only 18 and only has three Premier League starts to his name. Yet such was the impression he made in pre-season and during the formative weeks of the season prior to injury, after shining on loan at Blackburn in the Championship last year, it is clear he already has far more to offer than any normal top-flight teenager.
He was first-choice before that trip to Elland Road, and while his electric return could be put down to adrenaline and a desire to make up for lost time, it’s only a matter of time before he regains such status again.
He is Liverpool’s future after all.
Missed opportunity for Minamino?
Would Takumi Minamino have started against Cardiff City if Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain hadn’t tested positive for Covid-19? Or perhaps if Luis Diaz had enjoyed an extra couple of days in training during the week following his £49m transfer from FC Porto?
Only Jurgen Klopp will know the answer but either way Sunday’s FA Cup fourth round clash with the Bluebirds was a golden opportunity for the Japan international.
With Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane away at the Africa Cup of Nations, the formative weeks of 2022 were supposed to be his time to shine in their absence. Yet Sunday’s clash was only his second start since they’ve been away, with the likes of Oxlade-Chamberlain and youngster Kaide Gordon getting the nod ahead of him.
And while he might have been turned to against Cardiff and been able to mark the occasion with a goal, in truth it was a missed opportunity for the forward.
Ineffectual down the right-hand side, he dropped too deep and drifted too central as he drifted in and out of the game. Bullied on occasions, the times he did get on the ball, he was wasteful, as demonstrated by one particularly overhit cross in the first half.
He showed glimpses of his talent, as he has done ever since first moving to Liverpool in January 2020, combining well with Diogo Jota to set up a glorious opening for Curtis Jones. Yet such moments were few and far between.
And he never gave up against a physical Cardiff side, winning the free-kick for the Reds' opening goal before showing great awareness to score their, running onto Diaz’s cutback after Jota had spurned the opening to hammer home his seventh of the season.
His seven goals have come from just 801 minutes of action, scoring on average every 114 minutes - a respectable return for any forward.
Yet in Minamino’s case, it simply isn’t enough as he remains a Liverpool enigma. The low-budget gamble signing that hasn’t really paid off.
In truth, it doesn’t matter how well he had played against Cardiff. On the left, he has Mane, Diaz and Jota ahead of him in the pecking order. Down the middle it’s Jota and Firmino. On the right it’s Salah and Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Sure, he's providing goals and maybe that's all you need from a bit-part player, perhaps that is all he will ever be, but with such names ahead of him, his opportunity to make an impact will dwindle.
Linked with a move away in January, he resisted to stay at Anfield. But with such competition ahead of him, you wonder where his next start will come from.
Midfield mindfield
When Gini Wijnaldum left Liverpool in the summer, onlookers were insistent the Reds needed a new midfielder to replace the Dutchman.
Yet Jurgen Klopp was adamant. He was happy with the options he had at his disposal.
It was somewhat ironic that such faith was swiftly followed by an injury crisis in the Liverpool engine-room during the first half of the season as body after body suffered setbacks following Harvey Elliott’s dislocated ankle back in September.
Such absentees have presented opportunities from within, with Tyler Morton already featuring more for the Reds this season that he would have possibly imagined at the start of the campaign.
But now as we head towards the final months of the season, Klopp’s faith in his options is justified and the Liverpool midfield is as well-stocked as it has ever been.
Including Morton, Klopp has nine options he can call upon in midfield. Had Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain not tested positive for Covid-19, all nine would have been available for selection against Cardiff.
Yet having already completed his period in isolation, the England international will be back for Leicester. And his manager will have a real selection ‘dilemma’ on his hands.
Curtis Jones and Naby Keita were lively after starting against the Bluebirds, with captain Jordan Henderson sitting deep in the absence of Fabinho - who was rested after Brazil duty.
Meanwhile, Harvey Elliott and Thiago Alcantara made their returns from injury off the bench, with the former marking the occasion with a well-taken goal, with James Milner also joining the action to make up the full quota.
And that’s without taking into consideration that Takumi Minamino has played in midfield this season, while Roberto Firmino was briefly fielded in a new, deeper role in the second half after Klopp started to spring the changes.
Speaking ahead of facing Cardiff, the German warned that some of his players who expect to start will find themselves only on the bench while likely squad players now face the possibility of not making the cut altogether.
Nothing emphasises that fact more than Liverpool’s reignited depth in midfield, making a mockery of their previous small squad narrative. After the famine, comes the feast.
