Liverpool have two cup competitions on the agenda in the upcoming fortnight, and with rotation on the cards there are a handful of players who stand to benefit.
Arne Slot‘s side are progressing impressively across all competitions this season, but we know who he readily turns to for his starting lineups.
With Champions League progression secured ahead of the trip to PSV and a meeting with bottom-of-the-Championship Plymouth in the FA Cup on the horizon, changes are surely in the reckoning.
This will afford regular starters the chance at some rest amid Premier League games against Bournemouth and Everton, in addition to the Carabao Cup decider early next month.
“These moments where players can come, it’s very important. It’s good to create these things,” Virgil van Dijk said of rotation after the win over Ipswich.
So, who could stand to benefit?
Harvey Elliott
Appearances: 13 (2 starts)
Elliott has been patient and mature in his reaction to a lack of minutes under Slot so far, but he has had strong appearances off the bench and has shown what he can offer.
The No. 10 role is not short of players to fill it, but trips to PSV and Plymouth ought to be seen as the ideal opportunity to hand Elliott the starts he craves – at least as a starting point.
“He’s in competition with Wata, with Ryan, with Curtis, with Macca, with [Szoboszlai] and himself, so these are the midfielders we have at the moment,” Slot recently underlined.
His presence will at least afford one of the abovementioned players a valuable rest but, importantly, also keep Elliott closer to full-match fitness and sharpness, qualities that cannot be underestimated with four trophies still on the line.
Elliott has made just two starts since recovering from injury and he should be a shoo-in to double that tally by early February.
Wataru Endo
Appearances: 17 (4)
Endo’s minutes have been slowly rising as the season has progressed, with it now standing at 483 having been trusted at centre-back when the moment has called for it.
He has waited in the wings behind Ryan Gravenberch, who has only failed to feature just four times so far, but he can also help offer timely rest for one of Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk.
It is hard not to see him start at Plymouth but Slot must take the chance to trust Endo and his “unbelievable” mentality at PSV too, either in midfield or defence.
The 31-year-old’s flexibility keeps options open and the only hope is that Julio Enciso’s reckless high challenge has not had any lingering effects on his availability.
Federico Chiesa
Appearances: 8 (1)
A player who has shown an incredible eye for shots on goal in his brief cameos to date, Federico Chiesa is one of several players who can prove to be a difference-maker this season as long as he stays fit.
He has played just 191 minutes but Slot explained the process since his signing has required patience to build his fitness and the need for him to bide his time behind Mohamed Salah.
Whether he is now ready to start is still yet to be seen, but this seemingly comes as an ideal period to increase his minutes and continue to build his chemistry with the team in pressure moments.
Chiesa’s longest outing remains the 56 minutes he played against West Ham in the Carabao Cup in September, so if he could get close to that mark it would be considered a big success.
Jarell Quansah
Appearances: 12 (8)
Jarell Quansah endured a rough start to the season when he was hooked at halftime against Ipswich, quickly transitioning from a starter into a fringe player low on confidence.
He has started to turn a corner of late and show the composed qualities that put him in good stead last season, and it is only right to now maintain that upward trend when possible.
Liverpool’s centre-back ranks have never been immune to injury so keeping Quansah ticking over will be key should he be needed for a sustained run of starts at the back.
Slot has readily backed Quansah, who has shown he has the mentality to respond to adversity, and he will yet be important this season.
Jayden Danns
Appearances: 3 (0)
The obvious ‘wildcard’ on this list as he is the subject of loan interest for the rest of the season and has only recently been integrated back into the senior set-up after a long-term injury.
His cameos off the bench, however, have offered a timely reminder of his natural ability and that he could yet offer something different when Liverpool are in need of a goal.
Danns can develop in a senior environment elsewhere, but there is nothing to say that he cannot do the same with regular first-team training at the AXA and the possibility of more Liverpool appearances.
There will be fewer assurances for minutes than others on this list, even with a late appearance against Ipswich, but Danns has immense promise and why not utilise him when given the chance?
