Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat at Chelsea was nothing to be distraught about, but it did raise question marks over the futures of certain players.
The Reds were lacking in intensity from minute one at Stamford Bridge, having already won the Premier League title – with Arne Slot‘s six changes underlining the fact.
Here, Henry Jackson (@HenryJackson87) and Dan Clubbe (@dan_clubbe) discuss an unimportant defeat but also look at which players they would consider selling this summer.
The good…
DAN: Endo! Having gone from forgotten man to elite-level closer, this was a performance that reminded us all of not just his commitment and defensive attributes, but also that he can play the beautiful game.
Because Slot hasn’t fancied him over grace personified himself, Gravenberch, we’ve all just assumed Endo is a bulldog when he’s so much more.
Third-man runs, around the corner passes – there’s far more to his repertoire than we often give him credit for, and this display was Man-of-the-Match-worthy and then some.
Special mention for Bradley as well, who provided impetus, energy and quality – all the things we’ve come to expect from him.
That away end, too! Party time wasn’t it?
It was summed up by Ibou heading over for a dance, arms aloft like we’ve just completed a professional 3-1 win of our own in London. These are the days.
A guard of honour from Chelsea doesn’t get much sweeter.
HENRY: Ibou’s dancing stood out for me, too, which says a lot about the game itself!
It was great to see the away end in such great spirits, even when Palmer made it 3-1, reminding us that the defeat really did mean very little.
I agree with Dan that Endo was the pick of the players, while Bradley offered more purpose than Trent.
The guard of honour was a lovely moment, not least because those grim Chelsea fans had to witness it.
The bad…
DAN: That second goal was calamitous, let’s be honest.
All a bit keystone cops, and the unfortunate man just had to be Quansah, who hasn’t been able to catch a break all season.
Jones and Jota were poor. On the evidence of this performance, some would arguably campaign for them to leave, not that they will.
Jones has been largely excellent this season, so it’s fine to mark that down as one of them, but Jota has been off it for a while now, and this was not a sign of a man getting back to his best.
As we will get to shortly, I think this was a rare chance to impress for a couple, and I’m not totally convinced they took it…
HENRY: I was never going to be too bothered about the result, but some individuals frustrated me.
Jones was miles off it, as Dan mentioned, and Elliott was equally ineffective in a midfield carried by Endo.
I feel for Quanshah, but he was far from great, and Jota has been lifeless leading the line for an alarming amount of time now.
Still, the Reds are Premier League champions!
Which fringe players would you sell?
DAN: Yikes. I still struggle to see Chiesa going from literal handfuls of minutes to a relied-upon squad option, so he leaves for me.
Elliott stays and fights, as he has said, although this was certainly an opportunity missed for him.
Endo – it’s entirely up to him. If he’s happy, then great, but there’s a chance he wants more minutes.
Time has also naturally come for Tsimikas as well, in my opinion, should we sign a left-back as anticipated.
I understand the argument of Robertson leaving, but the experience and leadership give him the edge, plus the fact that he’s a better option when firing.
Kelleher and Nunez go, too. I think the writing is on the wall for both for very different reasons, and I wouldn’t be at all shocked if Gomez left either.
HENRY: I tend to completely agree here.
Chiesa simply hasn’t worked out, which feels quite predictable but was worth the gamble, given how cheap he was.
I totally agree that Tsimikas should leave ahead of Robbo – the latter can be a good squad option, keeping leadership within the squad.
It makes complete sense to Kelleher to go, allowing him to be a regular elsewhere, and I have quite simply had enough of Nunez now.
Elliott and Jota should stay, but the jury has to be out on both next season.
It’s a summer where Slot and Edwards have to be ruthless.
