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26-year-old must raise his game: Three things we learned about Liverpool from win v Leeds
COMMENT by Amir Mir
Football Insider analyses three talking points from Liverpool’s 2-0 quarter-final victory over Leeds in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night at Anfield.
Wijnaldum must raise his game
Georginio Wijnaldum has fitted in well at Liverpool since his summer switch but has scored only one goal in 15 appearances in all competitions this season. It is a poor return for a player who has been pushed forward in recent weeks. If he wants to improve that record then he must take his chances, as proven against Leeds in midweek. Wijnaldum created a number of good opportunities, including setting up record-breaker Ben Woodburn for his goal in the second half. But, prior to the goals going in, he could have broken the deadlock on two occasions himself, only to be let down by his finishing. The 26-year-old needs to raise his game and be more ruthless in front of goal.
Alexander-Arnold destined to be a star
Trent Alexander-Arnold produced another display of maturity and potential in his second start for Liverpool. The 18-year-old right-back was solid in defence, but equally good when bombing forward to attack. He produced a stunning whipped cross from the flanks which saw striker Divock Origi break the deadlock. The club’s academy player was calm on the ball and wasn’t afraid to pick out a pass. It is impossible to avoid the conclusion that
Lucas is better than Klavan
Centre-back Ragnar Klavan and left-back Alberto Moreno showed a lot of vulnerability in defence against Leeds. Whenever Hadi Sacko and Kemar Roofe ran at them, they were either out of position or failed to show any calmness. The attacking duo had a lot of joy on the left-hand side, where Klavan and Moreno were positioned. Frenchman Sacko should have opened the scoring in the opening few minutes, while Roofe went agonisingly close when his curling shot hit the post. Lucas, who was the stand-in skipper, did not show a great deal of defensive qualities himself, but he did look more at ease than Klavan.
In other Liverpool team news, Michael Owen congratulated Ben Woodburn on Twitter for breaking his goalscoring record.