Former Liverpool winger Stewart Downing fears that Harvey Elliott is being played out of position by Jurgen Klopp, speaking to the BBC Football Daily podcast following Saturday’s shock 1-0 defeat at AFC Bournemouth.
That 7-0 thrashing of Manchester United was supposed to be a turning point. Already, it’s starting to feel instead like an aberration; a rare ray of sunlight in a sky full of dark clouds.
Liverpool have now lost to Leeds, Nottingham Forest, Wolves and Bournemouth; that dismal defeat at the Vitality Stadium coming just six days after Mo Salah, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo ran riot against their biggest rivals.
19-year-old Elliott struggled alongside fellow teenager Bajcetic at Bournemouth. And, while the former Fulham starlet has been one of Liverpool’s better performers during the most difficult campaign of the Klopp era, Downing has a nagging feeling that he is something of a square peg in a round hole.
Harvey Elliott struggles as Liverpool lose at Bournemouth
“You think of Harvey Elliot. I don’t think he’s a natural midfield player,” says the one-time England international. “I think he (is best) playing off the right. But he’s going to have a job moving Salah out the way.”
A lack of star quality in the heart of a rusted, spluttering engine room continues to be the root of most Liverpool evils; the injury-prone Thiago unavailable once again and Fabinho maintaining his dreadful decline.
“I looked at Liverpool’s midfield (vs Bournemouth),” adds Downing, predicting a big summer of investment. “They need bodies, I don’t think it will just be Jude Bellingham (they are targeting). It will be another one or two.
“Thiago’s got injury problems. Fabinho’s form has been up and down. You can’t rely on Bajcetic to play every game at 18, as good as he’s been.”
Liverpool are now sixth in the table. Tottenham Hotspur extended their advantage over the Merseyside giants with a 3-1 triumph over Nottingham Forest later on Saturday.
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