'Outstanding' Liverpool player set for lengthy spell out of the team after 'nightmare' vs Brighton - opinion
10/31/2024 05:00 PM
Liverpool just about made it past Brighton in their League Cup round of 16 clash, with the Reds winning 3-2 at the Amex Stadium.
It would have certainly been a nervy evening for Arne Slot, but the Liverpool manager will be very glad to have got his side over the line in the end.
Slot has very little time to analyse the victory, with the Merseyside club now welcoming Brighton to Anfield in league action.
The Seagulls make the trip north on Saturday for the Premier League encounter, with the hosts looking to continue their strong start to the season.
Slot definitely has a lot of big decisions to make regarding his XI, but he has made it a lot easier on himself after resting many key players at the Amex.
Jarell Quansah endures Liverpool nightmare vs Brighton
But the decision did almost backfire at one stage during the evening, with young defender Jarell Quansah enduring a difficult end to the match.
Former Liverpool defender Gary Gillespie said Quansah had a nightmare against Brighton, having gifted the home side a goal thanks to his loose pass.
READ MORE:What Virgil van Dijk did to Jarell Quansah after his mistake during Liverpool 3-2 Brighton
Quansah then diverted the ball into his own net to give the Seagulls further hope of a positive result, before Slot decided enough was enough, replacing the young centre-back late on with Ibrahima Konate.
The young England ace looked visibly upset as he walked off the pitch, although his tricky end did come after an otherwise solid display.
Unfortunately, however, there is simply no room for mistakes under Slot, with the manager perhaps wishing he started either Konate or captain Virgil van Dijk alongside Joe Gomez.
Arne Slot likely to keep Jarell Quansah out of Liverpool action
The Liverpool boss does, of course, have previous with Quansah, having taken the defender off at half time of his very first match in charge against Ipswich Town.
Quansah's confidence will have taken a huge knock from both withdrawals, and even though he recently signed a new contract at Anfield, another start could now be some way away.
Van Dijk and Konate have formed a very solid partnership at the back, with Gomez undoubtedly next in line should either need a rest or suffer an injury.
Gary McAllister labelled Quansah 'outstanding' in pre-season, but keeping him out of the action for a lengthy period could be the route that Slot now goes down.
Importantly, he is only 21 years old and is set to learn from the experience, with the Anfield faithful well aware of just how talented the centre-back already is.
