Jarell Quansah makes Liverpool admission and explains next steps under Arne Slot
Jarell Quansah has played a total of 45 times for Liverpool to date, and the young defender established himself in the starting XI for much of last season, where he played almost half of the Premier League fixtures in Jurgen Klopp's final year. But this week saw him make his first Champions League start.
Coming into the team against Lille, this was Quansah's first proper experience of UEFA's top competition (he came off the bench for his debut earlier this season against Bayer Leverkusen, but that was only for a couple of minutes). To mark the occasion, he put in comfortably his best performance under Arne Slot to date.
"It was a very enjoyable experience," he told reporters post-match. "I work so hard for my career and to be able to play in the Champions League at Anfield is a dream come true.
READ MORE: Liverpool could face nightmare Champions League draw as path to final becomes clearer
"Every game is a learning process. I'm not getting too down if I make a mistake. I just know I need to learn. It's going to be a long career so I'm just trying to keep level and temperament is one of the most important things for a young center-back.
"I'm just trying to learn off the players around me. I can lean on all the senior players — I'm not just going to pick out one. I think a lot of them have definitely helped me. It's about keeping my confidence up and playing to the levels I know I can."
Quansah was hooked at half-time on the opening day of the campaign at Ipswich, the team Liverpool will face at home this weekend, and he has only started one match in the Premier League since — when he played right-back in the 3-3 draw at Newcastle. But at 21, he is still learning the game, with some of the very best and most experienced around in his position to pick things up from.
"He is a fantastic young player who can get better and he is in a great place to learn," Virgil van Dijk, who played alongside him against Lille, had said about him. "When he has the opportunity to play, he has to play with confidence and don't be afraid to make mistakes."
"If I take a little bit of [the other center-backs at Liverpool's] games, it will put me in great stead," Quansah added. "I have the belief I can do that. It's not just on the pitch, it's what they do for me off the pitch, keeping me pushing. I'm happy they're willing to invest time into me as well.
"I'm not going to sit here and say it's easy [to maintain confidence when you're not in the team]. It's tough but it's how you prepare, trying to put yourself in the best possible mindframe and physical condition. It's not easy when you're not in the team but it's about trying to do everything you can for the team when you are in it.
"I'm always looking at my game, whether I'm playing good or bad. I'm always looking and trying to improve. I'm not going to be the finished article just yet. I'm my harshest critic. It doesn't matter if I play good or bad, I'm always going to criticise myself.
"I like to work on myself. I'm trying to work on everything I can to be where I want to be in the future. That takes hours of work, and that's what I'm going to do."
