In the Carabao Cup triumph over Leicester City on Wednesday, Liverpool made 10 changes from the previous weekend. There was never any doubt that Jürgen Klopp’s team would succeed in the end, especially with the influx of so many new players and an early goal conceded.
In the end, Liverpool defeated Leicester, and the Reds’ lone goal was the result of an unfortunate slip by Tsimikas that enabled for a quick counterattack.
However, following that early goal, Liverpool had the upper hand. Even before the Reds scored the equaliser, they had generated enough chances to be in the lead. Liverpool kept control at the back despite using a completely different back five from the one that started the previous Saturday.
Because to the center-back duo of Jarell Quansah and Ibrahima Konaté, Leicester was never able to pose a significant threat to Caoimhin Kelleher’s goal. Quansah in particular may have put on his best Liverpool effort to far.
He intercepted passes in the box and executed tackles that were reminiscent of Virgil van Dijk’s. A deft touch from a Leicester cross to stop the opposition’s strikers from coming in behind and kick the ball away for a corner was one that particularly brought to mind the Liverpool skipper.
But Quansah was exceptional in more ways than just defence. He was similarly impressive when he had the ball, completing the most passes (82) with a 91 percent accuracy rate. He had previously distinguished himself when it came to his demise, too. He was the most accurate passer in that game against Wolves, completing 77 passes with a 96 percent accuracy rate.
It’s crucial for a contemporary center-back to maintain composure when handling the ball, and Quansah has so far proven to be adept at doing so in his Liverpool appearances.
He even went above and beyond against Leicester. It had elements of Jol Matip in his heyday about his clever move into the box to set up Diogo Jota for the third goal of the game, and it’s not the first time Quansah has demonstrated his ability to make offensive runs either.
Everyone who follows the academy or has seen him play for England’s young teams has seen it before.
It was not surprising to hear Klopp wax lyrical about Quansah’s performance on Wednesday night with the manager admitting the youngster’s performance made him grin. Liverpool may have uncovered an exciting gem in the youngster.
“Jarell Quansah, in addition to playing superbly, also set up a goal. To be honest, it’s impossible to see him without grinning. In his post-game press conference, which you can see on Blood Red, Klopp added, “It’s really, really nice to see.
Even though it’s early in the season, the young center-back has already shown that the sky is the limit for him. He has earned more opportunities this year.