Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net
Liverpool are set to make their long-awaited return to league action following the recent international break as they host Everton, their Merseyside rivals, at Anfield on Wednesday.
This will be the final Merseyside derby of the season, having played out a 2-2 thriller in which tensions spilled over during and after the Goodison Park fixture in February.
Curtis Jones, Arne Slot and his assistant Sipke Hulshoff became the main culprits of the situation directed towards Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure and referee, Michael Oliver, resulting in touchline or one-match suspensions.
Ahead of the reunion at Anfield, some key team news has been revealed by Slot, confirming that this game will come ‘too soon’ for Conor Bradley, whilst Trent Alexander-Arnold’s injury timeframe is unknown after limping off in the defeat to PSG, prior to the two-week break.
Therefore, Jarell Quansah is expected to be given the nod at right-back in the derby and we will be discussing how the young Englishman can be relied upon to plug the gap of his fellow teammates.
A ROLLERCOASTER 12 MONTHS
Just this time last year, Jarell Quansah was Liverpool’s first choice to partner Virgil van Dijk towards the end of Jurgen Klopp’s final season with the club.
The youngster experienced a breakthrough campaign following successful loan spells and Klopp felt Quansah was ready to make the jump to becoming a first-team regular.
It was certainly a bold move from the former Liverpool manager to give Quansah an opportunity, but one that he can have no regrets over.
A successful debut season in top-flight football resulted in thirteen Premier League starts and a total amount of 2,584 minutes across all competitions.
This led to the defender earning a spot in Gareth Southgate’s provisional squad ahead of Euro 2024 – but was unfortunate to not make the final cut.
Upon the arrival of Arne Slot, Quansah’s promising Liverpool career has taken a dive into the unknown, having featured as a bit-part player.
In the Premier League opener away at Ipswich Town, Slot began with the inexperienced man alongside Virgil van Dijk in the centre of defence, before showing a ruthless streak in substituting Quansah out for Ibrahima Konate after forty-five minutes.
Since then, the Englishman has been pushed back down the pecking order, featuring more or less in the domestic cup matches, which as a result has brought his long-term Liverpool future into question.
BACK IN CONTENTION
Over recent weeks, Jarell Quansah has found himself returning to the first-team fold having gained a starting role in absence of Liverpool’s two main right-backs, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Conor Bradley.
The defender impressed during the extra-time period against PSG, having replaced Alexander-Arnold in the seventy-second minute.
Quansah was defensively astute, whilst also being a threat from set-pieces on the attack.
Trent Alexander-Arnold faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Getty Images.
He was then awarded a huge moment in his career when selected by Arne Slot to start at Wembley Stadium against Newcastle for the Carabao Cup Final – but ended up on the losing side.
Despite this, Quansah was one of the very few positives to take from a largely frustrating Liverpool performance, and the lack of attacking instinct as an emergency right-back was no fault of his own.
LIVERPOOL’S ‘NEW’ RIGHT BACK
The absence of Conor Bradley alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold cannot be underestimated.
Both players love to attack and when neither feature for Liverpool, the team struggle to create.
Alexander-Arnold’s creativity from deep is an obvious threat that was sorely missed against Newcastle, meanwhile Bradley’s playing-style is similar for the most part, but labelled the better defensively of the two.
As for Quansah, he has been given the opportunity to fill the boots of the current Liverpool right-back and his eventual predecessor, despite being a centre-back by trade.
On the slight change of position, Quansah recently spoke to journalist and podcaster, Mo Stewart, sharing his true feelings and what Arne Slot said to him in the lead-up to Manchester City’s Anfield visit in December.
He said, “Slot pulled me before the City game.
Obviously Joe [Gomez] was starting centre-back and before that he had been the natural one who had filled in at right-back.”
“The gaffer said he thought I had the attributes and qualities to play right-back, not probably how Trent and Conor play but in a different type of way.”
Conor Bradley has missed the last six Liverpool games with a hamstring problem.
David Rawcliffe/Propaganda.
Quansah concluded, “I’m just happy he can see my qualities and hopefully I can show a little bit more of what I’m about on the ball from that position because sometimes that’s hard to do from centre-half.”
In contrast to his defensive counterparts, Quansah is more of a composed head when it comes to playing the right-back position.
He can still play a vital role for Liverpool without offering his services in an attacking position.
NOW OR NEVER
It’s now or never for Jarell Quansah to try and sneak his way into Arne Slot’s thinking beyond the summer.
His Liverpool future is currently hanging in the balance, despite a promising beginning and having lost his starting centre-back place as early as the season opener, the 22-year-old will be desperate to climb his way back up the ladder.
Quansah only recently agreed on fresh contract terms in October, putting pen-to-paper on a long-term deal until atleast 2028 and it will be gutting if his Reds career turns out to be somewhat short-lived.
The defender is set to play a large part of the remaining nine league fixtures and is more than capable of filling in for however long Conor Bradley and Trent Alexander-Arnold are sidelined.
Want to get the latest Liverpool news direct to your phone?
For more news relating to Everton, visit our sister site EFC Live.
![[Valid RSS]](../valid-rss.png "Validate my RSS feed")