‘Can play much better’: Klopp says one Liverpool player was just ‘OK’ against Inter last night

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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp claimed in his press conference last night that Harvey Elliott is capable of playing a lot better than he actually did against Inter Milan yesterday.

The Reds went to the San Siro in what was expected to be a tough test for them. Inter are the defending Italian champions and their record in Serie A this season is almost identical to that of Klopp’s side.

Liverpool found it difficult to break the hosts down and it wasn’t until the 75th minute that they could break the deadlock. Substitute Roberto Firmino gave them the lead before Mo Salah doubled it eight minutes later.

Klopp, unsurprisingly, was delighted with the result, but he believed Elliott could’ve played a lot better yesterday.

• Video: Mo Salah filmed doing something incredibly heartwarming after Liverpool win at Inter

Jurgen Klopp: Harvey Eliott was ‘OK’ for Liverpool against Inter Milan

Asked about Elliott’s display, the German said, as per Liverpool’s official website: “It was absolutely OK, but Harvey can play much better, we know that.

“The reason Harvey played was because we knew which spaces we had to play and it’s usually naturally his area, these half-spaces around the midfield three, being very flexible, naturally offensive-minded and all these kind of things. That’s why he played. He had really good moments but we all know he can play much better.

“He did the job, he was working incredibly hard and all these kind of things. When you are 18 years old and play against one of the most experienced teams in world football and they are Italian on top of that, for an offensive player it’s not a walk in the park.

“It was a very, very important game for him and very helpful for us as well.”

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A look at Elliott’s stats

In his 59 minutes on the pitch yesterday, the teenager had 35 touches of the ball and completed just 23 out of his 31 attempted passes. Elliott lost the ball 10 times as well, which isn’t a great return. (SofaScore)

However, for an 18-year-old to start at one of the most difficult stadiums in world football is not easy at all.

Klopp is spot on, Elliott was just ‘OK’ yesterday, but everybody knows he can perform at a much higher level. He’s still only 18 and last night’s experience will help him massively. He’ll only get better in the coming years.

It will be interesting to see if Elliott will get the nod from the start when Liverpool host Norwich on Saturday.

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