People are buzzing about Harvey Elliott’s performance against Burnley, and Klopp is not surprised.
Yesterday’s 2-0 win over Burnley was the first time Liverpool have played in front of a full crowd at Anfield in nearly a year and a half. The players clearly fed off the environment and put on a show for the supporters, and the list of players whose performances stood out is quite long.
There were so many positives and feel-good moments to take away from the match, which makes it even more impressive that the play of 18-year-old Harvey Elliott is garnering so much attention.
The young sensation made his first Premier League start, and he was more than just comfortable on the pitch. He was influential. It was the kind of performance that will make it very hard to continue tempering expectations for Elliott.
During his post-match press conference, manager Jürgen Klopp was asked about Elliott’s performance and he was not surprised that everyone was talking about the show he put on.
“Everybody wants to talk to me about Harvey and I understand absolutely,” said Klopp.
“When an 18-year-old boy plays such a mature game I can understand why everyone was asking, but I was not surprised he played like this. That is exactly how he has trained now for six or seven weeks since we are back, since he is back from loan. Yes, it was good.”
The maturity in the way he played is what was most impressive about Elliott’s performance. His head for the game and his decision-making have earned him praise since he arrived on Merseyside two summers ago, and it was on full display against Burnley.
Despite being a more natural attacker, he did an admirable job doing the defensive duties of his new midfield role, and he certainly did not look like a player that was transitioning to a new position. He even contributed a would-be assist that was eventually chalked off thanks to Mohamed Salah being marginally offside.
Overall, it was a very good performance that will leave everyone who watched it eager to see more.
