Being substituted at half-time is one of the biggest humiliations a footballer can face; and for those at either end of their careers – just starting or tailing off – it can feel seismic.
By Jack Lusby, ThisIsAnfield.com
Arne Slot withdrawing Jarell Quansah just 45 minutes into his first competitive game in charge of Liverpool certainly felt like a show of intent, the new head coach making it clear the standards he expects.
It was no Mourinho-style power move, however, more a marker of the attributes supporters have grown accustomed to with Slot in the four months since: the Dutchman is a straight-talker, a fierce competitor and, most importantly, a tactical pragmatist.
Put simply, he had spotted a flaw and addressed it. Quansah was no symbolic fall guy, but Slot quickly accepted that his performance that day at Portman Road could have left Liverpool undone.
“Our problem in the first half was more that we lost too many duels – our defenders lost too many and our attackers didn’t win enough,” he explained after an eventual 2-0 win over Ipswich on the opening day of the Premier League.
Slot added: “That’s not that Jarell lost every duel – many of us lost too many duels – but I think we needed Ibou Konaté to win these long balls in the air from the No. 9.”
Quansah won four of his eight duels (50%) in his 45 minutes on the pitch, while Konaté won four of five (80%) – the youngster also conceded two fouls while his replacement gave away zero – which certainly acts as vindication for Slot’s decision.
But restoring Konaté to the fold also allowed Trent Alexander-Arnold more freedom to roam, knowing the centre-back’s ability to cover and defend over large spaces would not leave Liverpool as open as it perhaps would with a player of Quansah’s inexperience.
It was timely, then, that ahead of the return fixture as Ipswich visit Anfield on Saturday the head coach was asked, with no hint of pretence, whether Konaté could reach the heights of his centre-back partner Virgil van Dijk.
“Defensively, he’s of the highest standard,” he enthused. “He’s fast, he’s strong, he wins duels in the air, over the ground, he can cover for his teammates as well if needed, he can play one-vs-one with a lot of space in his back.”
Quansah’s half-time exit served as a statement that, under new management, the slate had been wiped clean for every player – for better or worse – and the months since have certainly been humbling for the 21-year-old.
He has started just seven of the following 32 games, with only two of those coming outside of the domestic cups; a chastening night at right-back as he struggled in a 3-3 draw with Newcastle in the Premier League and, on Tuesday, a first-ever start in the Champions League.
That 2-1 victory over Lille was significant for Quansah, not only as a milestone appearance, but having been restored to his natural role for a high-profile tie he finally looked comfortable in his boots again.
“It is not easy when you are not in the team but you need to do everything you can for the team. Keep pushing,” he told reporters after a victory that all but sealed top spot in the Champions League’s new league phase.
“I am always looking at my game whether I play good or bad. I am not going to be the finished article yet. I am my harshest critic, I have always said that. But whether I play good or bad, I will criticise myself.
“When I play my best games, that is probably when I have been the harshest on myself.”
Quansah, who started 27 games in a breakthrough season under Jürgen Klopp last time out, has used his time out of the starting lineup to take stock, and there has clearly been no issue with his attitude.
That is aided by Slot’s unwavering commitment to a player who, despite dropping down his pecking order, still has a big future under him at Liverpool.
Slot’s other three senior centre-backs – Van Dijk, Konaté and certainly Joe Gomez – can all speak for how formative battling through adversity can be in the career of a young footballer, and Quansah appears to have the mentality required to do so.
So while he may extend his record of making every matchday squad of the season so far as an unused substitute against Ipswich, the visit of Liam Delap and Co. should not be a reminder of the defender’s failures.
More so it should act as a prompt for Quansah that, when his chance comes again, he should be ready to take it and run with it.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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