Hot Harvey can keep Liverpool engine purring
Teen stars Elliott and Carvalho key for Klopp
THE post-match chatter, once again, carried a familiar refrain. No Liverpool game takes place these days without the midfield being discussed and so it proved after Bournemouth’s blitzing.
This time, though, there was a twist. Rather than attracting scrutiny and criticism, talk about Jurgen Klopp’s engine room revolved around the fearlessness and enthusiasm that characterised the performances of two dashing tyros.
Harvey Elliott, with his corkscrew curls and his sweet left foot, has long been at the forefront of Klopp’s mind. At the end of last season, Liverpool’s manager chided himself and said it was ‘a crime’ that he had been unable to give the 19-year-old more games.
Opportunity has knocked this campaign and Elliott has been in the right place to profit, standing out impressively from the moment Klopp introduced him from the bench on the opening day at Fulham. He is inventive, determined and fearless, like all the best youngsters.
Those words, however, fit equally alongside Fabio Carvalho, who turns 20 tomorrow and started the celebrations early by thrashing in his first Liverpool goal — the eighth in a contest that almost required an abacus.
His joy at joining Elliott, who swept in Liverpool’s second with a beautifully crisp strike, on the list of scorers, having replaced him at half-time, was unconfined and thrilled their manager, as did the rejuvenated Roberto Firmino and electric Luis Diaz, both of whom doubled up.
Reports emerging from training about Elliott and Carvalho have been glowing all summer and Virgil van Dijk, goalscorer No 5 on a day that remarkably passed without Mo Salah joining the party, confirmed the positive impression they have made.
‘You need that maturity,’ said Van Dijk, who gave the impression that he has been stung by some of the criticism that has come his way. ‘Especially when things are not going well, these guys have the right mentality that we need.
‘Harvey was good against Manchester United, Fabio came on and played very well, too. They will have moments, good moments, but they will have moments they have to learn from. That’s how football works. We are not robots.’
There will, of course, be bumps in the road to come but Klopp is not the kind to overlook them at the first sign of discomfort and this is why the debate about whether he will sign another midfielder before Thursday’s deadline is so complex.
Klopp says he would like to bring someone in and, looking at his bench against Bournemouth, you could see why — players such as Bobby Clark, Stefan Bajcetic and Harvey Davies would normally only expect to play in Carabao Cup matches.
Clark, a 17-year-old from Epsom who replaced another scorer in Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Bajcetic, an 18-year-old from Spain, made their debuts and were involved as Liverpool pursued what would have been a club and Premier League record-breaking tenth goal.
But what would have happened if Liverpool had been chasing a deficit? They were lucky that Bournemouth were so flimsy and abject, their efforts leaving manager Scott Parker looking like he had seen a ghost on what he called the worst day of his career.
Liverpool’s injury situation is not going to change too dramatically before Wednesday’s visit of Newcastle, so Klopp would be delighted if he had another experienced option at his disposal. Conversely, he is not going to bring anyone in just to boost numbers.
He is not going to sign anyone that will be a barrier to Elliott — whose father, Scott, celebrated his goal by launching his white jacket into the air in the Main Stand — or Carvalho as they have shown they are Liverpool’s future. What Parker would do to have such options.
‘The amount of games we play, we need a lot of midfielders,’ said Van Dijk. ‘Midfielders are the engine of our team. You see the amount of games we play, we rotate a lot in midfield, apart from Fabinho. We need everyone.
‘I’m very impressed with both of them. Harvey showed before his injury (last season) and now he’s showing the same stuff as before. I’ve been impressed with Fabio as well. I think he can be really good for us as a club.’
One aspect that was certainly ‘really good’ was the invigorating nature of the result, Anfield’s most comprehensive since they beat Crystal Palace by the same score in September 1989. Those looking for coincidences will note Liverpool finished that season as champions.
Klopp, on the other hand, will not be looking any further forward than Newcastle.
LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Alisson 6: AlexanderArnold 8 (Clark 83), Gomez 8, Van Dijk 8, Robertson 8 (Tsimikas 69): Henderson 8 (Bajcetic 70), Fabinho 8, Elliott 8 (Carvalho 46): Diaz 8, Firmino 9 (Milner 70), Salah 7. Subs not used: Adrian, Clark, Phillips, Van den Berg, Davies. Booked: None. BOURNEMOUTH (4-2-3-1): Travers 5: Smith 4 (Solanke 45), Mepham 3 (Bevan 82), Senesi 3, Zemura 4: L Cook 5 (Pearson 77, Marcondes 82), Lerma 4: Anthony 5, Christie 4 (Billing 45), Tavernier 4; Moore 4. Subs not used: Muaro Neto, Stacey, Hill, Saydee. Booked: Smith. Man of the match: Roberto Firmino. Referee: Stuart Attwell. Attendance: 53,328.