5 Liverpool stars face battle to convince Arne Slot they can be relied on in title run-in
Liverpool will need to recover quickly from Sunday’s shock defeat to Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup as it turns its attention back to Premier League matters. Some players though face a bigger battle than others for the remainder of the season now.
Arne Slot of course made big changes to his side against the Championship club, and although some of the reaction to that decision has been blown out of proportion, it has led to something of a headache now for the Reds boss.
There can be no doubt that the team named by Slot should have been strong enough to overcome a side sitting bottom of England’s second tier. The fact that it wasn’t will be a major concern now for the Liverpool boss as he looks to navigate what will be a hectic few months, with Premier League and Champions League commitments to deal with alongside a Carabao Cup final next month.
READ MORE: Jarrad Branthwaite dismisses Liverpool title theory ahead of Merseyside derby with Everton
READ MORE: Arne Slot replacement fired as Liverpool boss' impact becomes crystal clear
Not every senior player involved at the weekend should be facing scrutiny - Wataru Endo once again performed admirably as he had to fill in at center-back for the injured Joe Gomez, while Caoimhin Kelleher certainly can’t be blamed for the defeat. There are question marks over a lot of the players involved though, and it could pose a problem for the remainder of the campaign.
Jarell Quansah
It hasn't been an easy season for Jarell Quansah by any stretch of the imagination. Ever since he was hauled off at half-time in the opening game against Ipswich, it has been an uphill battle for the academy graduate.
Yesterday's game should have been an opportunity for him to further his reputation after some more encouraging displays in recent weeks, but while he perhaps doesn't deserve too much blame for the eventual defeat to Plymouth, he certainly won't be displacing Ibrahima Konate in Slot's side anytime soon.
With Gomez out again, it should have been the ideal opportunity for Quansah to show he can be relied upon to give the injury-prone Konate a rest every now and then. Instead, the decision not to sign a new defender in January may come under more scrutiny.
Harvey Elliott
Arguably the most disappointing of the senior stars on show on Sunday. Yes, Harvey Elliott is still just 21, but he has more than enough experience under his belt, and he has shown this season that he is miles better than what we saw at Home Park.
He failed to make an impression in the No.10 role, which raises further questions over whether he can be an option in midfield for Liverpool, and his handball to give away the penalty topped off what was a severely underwhelming performance.
Some of the reaction from supporters on social media to Elliott has been over the top, to say the least, and it shouldn't take away from the fact that he still has an important part to play if Liverpool it to win some silverware this season. Based on his display in Devon though, Slot might be having second thoughts if he needs to freshen things up in midfield at any point.
Kostas Tsimikas
Considering it hasn't been Andy Robertson's finest season, you'd have thought Kostas Tsimikas might have been able to do more to nail down a place in the side. But while Robertson seems to have been coming back into form in recent games, Tsimikas seems to have gone backwards after Sunday's defeat.
With the Greek international and Luis Diaz down the left, there should have been no end of threat coming down that flank for the visitors. There wasn't much in the way of quality though in Tsimikas' deliveries, either in open play or from set-pieces.
There were a few hairy moments in defense as well, with Tsimikas just about doing enough to stop some promising Plymouth attacks. Doubts over whether Robertson is still the first-choice left-back have surely been dismissed now.
Federico Chiesa
What looked like an absolute bargain signing in the summer is looking like it might have not have been worth the gamble after all. Federico Chiesa has plenty going against him, not least the fact he has Mohamed Salah ahead of him in the pecking order, but he isn't exactly doing anything to convince his doubters since arriving at Anfield.
Most of the concerns are around his fitness, considering some of the injuries he's had in recent years, and his lack of game time during the first half of the season did nothing to dispel those fears. Based on his performance on Sunday, it doesn't seem as though Liverpool has the same player that set the European Championship alight a few years ago.
There have been glimpses of Chiesa's talent here and there, but a goal against Accrington Stanley isn't going to be enough get him into the Premier League side. He remains bottom of the pecking order for Liverpool's forwards, and he's not going to be moving away from that position anytime soon.
Diogo Jota
At his best, Diogo Jota is Liverpool's deadliest finisher. The problem is, the Reds don't get to see that often enough.
The Portuguese's injury problems have reared their ugly head once again, and is often the case, after a lengthy spell out, it's taking him some time to get back up to speed. Liverpool doesn't have time to ease him back into contention though, and having been barely involved on Sunday despite playing the full 90 minutes, it feels like it would be a big gamble for Slot to throw him back into his regular side.
Jota was clearly the Dutchman's first-choice frontman during the early stages of the season, but even with a poor performance from Diaz, the Colombian has probably leapfrogged him now, as has Darwin Nunez. Salah and Cody Gakpo are now surely the undisputed wingers, leaving Jota with a serious fight on his hands to get back into the side up front.