Slot could fix fresh injury blow by unleashing Liverpool star in new role

The September international break is behind us, and while Liverpool fans are still giddy from watching Trent Alexander-Arnold obliterate any ridiculous notion that he cannot perform for England – at right-back – fans longing for another week without the Premier League would be few and far between.

Liverpool have enjoyed a masterful start to life under Arne Slot, whose three victories and three clean sheets from three matches to start his reign have cast any doubts far into the depths of the River Mersey.

But there’s always an element of fear that international action, freezing domestic excitement, will stifle the fluency, and return certain members to their clubs nursing blows.

Liverpool, sadly, must contend with such a setback in the shape of Harvey Elliott, whose frustrating start to the season has been compounded.

Harvey Elliott’s injury blow

Elliott’s role under Jurgen Klopp grew as the 2023/24 campaign went on, and the dynamic midfielder actually ended up being one of Liverpool’s most impressive players toward the business end, instrumental in winning the Carabao Cup and recovering form at the end of the year.

He’s reverted to a bit-part role since the summer, though it’s difficult to use the opening three matches as a reliable yardstick, with Slot looking to instil his methods and style as seamlessly as possible before expanding his team.

Elliott is an expert technician with ball-playing qualities that offer something distinctive and deadly to Liverpool. Klopp revealed that the 21-year-old’s comparative lack of playing time last year was one of his only regrets as he touched the Anfield sign for one final time.

The England U21 international is criminally underrated, among the finest young talents that the country’s rich and expansive prospect pool has to offer. He will now watch from the side as Liverpool continue to adapt to this new way of life.

The diminutive midfielder fractured his foot earlier this week while on duty with England U21s, meaning that he will miss up to six weeks of action and thus unlikely to return to action until the end of October, after the second international break of the season.

The significance of this blow should not be understated. Elliott has not enjoyed more than 13 minutes of football under his new boss but would have been expected to feature prominently over the weeks ahead, with the games coming thick and fast, two a week after Liverpool welcome Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday.

His sharp creativity is such a brilliant asset. As per FBref, Elliott ranks among the top 1% of central midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 4% for shot-creating actions, the top 17% for passes attempted, the top 9% for progressive passes and the top 3% for progressive carries per 90.

The man to replace Harvey Elliott

He will not be easily replaced, but an unlikely replacement could emerge in 25-year-old Cody Gakpo, who has proved his positional flexibility since signing from PSV Eindhoven in January 2023.

Gakpo has been an important member of Liverpool’s team since signing off the back of an exceptional campaign at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, with the versatile forward scoring 23 goals and supplying nine assists from 46 starting appearances.

He’s usually a centre-forward or an in-cutting left winger, but he’s played across myriad roles and could be an unlikely Elliott replacement, here’s why.

While the data extracted above does not run against attacking midfielders and wingers, Gakpo has displayed an aptitude for ball-playing and specifically playmaking, with new RB Salzburg manager Pep Lijnders hailing the “special skill set” that makes him such an interesting multi-functional option.

Of course, Dominik Szoboszlai looks set to continue his role as Slot’s starring number ten, but the Hungarian will not be expected to feature from the start on every occasion, especially when considering the congested run of forthcoming fixtures headed Liverpool’s way.

One of the principal questions boils down to whether Slot feels his slick and control-focused style of football can be successfully implemented with Gakpo in a deeper-lying role than he might have anticipated, but the table above and the Dutchman’s past crispness suggests that he does indeed have the tools to succeed.

Moreover, Gakpo won 51% of his ground duels in the Premier League last year, as per Sofascore, suggesting that he has the combativeness to succeed in a deeper role, something that Klopp clearly noted.

Last season, the Netherlands international played seven times for Liverpool in a middle-situated role, particularly impressive during his team’s 3-0 victory over Brentford in December.

Indeed, he completed 91% of his passes and won four of his seven contested ground duels before being replaced by Elliott in the final phase, so he’s definitely a viable option: Slot would simply be taking a leaf out of his predecessor’s books.

The £120k-per-week talent has yet to really showcase his style under the new management on Merseyside, in a competitive setting, but Slot is going to have to start shuffling the pack with the strong stream of matches flowing Liverpool’s way, and Elliott, the likely candidate to alternate with Szoboszlai, finds himself under the shadow of the sideline.

Is he going to make this move? Alexis Mac Allister can perform in an advanced midfield role, and so can Curtis Jones. Federico Chiesa could also offer an interesting take on the position after signing from Juventus in August, but the Reds will wish to blood him slowly and avoid a recurrence of past injury misfortune.

Gakpo could be the man for the job. He’ll be itching to prove himself in any case.