After playing two different cup matches in just two days, Liverpool faced Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in the third round of the FA Cup. Making good use of substitutions, Liverpool took control of the game in the second half and scored in the 80th minute and added time to advance to the fourth round.
Two days later, the first leg of the Carabao Cup semifinal match was held at Anfield against Fulham. The away team scored first in the 19th minute of the match.
Liverpool ended the first half in a faltering position, unable to break down the organized defense, but changed gears in the second half. The substitutes got involved in the goals and eventually scored twice to complete the comeback.
The second leg will determine whether Liverpool will advance to the final, but former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol was scathing of former Bayern midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, who started in the middle of the FA Cup and in the Carabao Cup, and kicked him out of the game for not doing much.
“I thought quite frankly he was awful and did absolutely nothing to push Klopp into starting him any time soon,”
“I don’t remember any significant difference when he’s on the field. I don’t remember any assists, certainly don’t remember him getting a goal. I don’t remember anything about him. Today he did what he’s being doing – not a lot.”
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Immediately after joining the club, he showed promising performances in the Europa League and other competitions. Since then, however, he has been on a downward spiral.
While Japan’s midfielder, Wataru Endo, showed his MVP-level performance in December, he does not seem to be quite fit in the team.
The team is still getting used to Klopp’s style of soccer and is beginning to tire, so it is inevitable that some of the players will be tired. It is not good to make a judgment at this point, but if Thiago Alcantara and others had been fully fit, his playing time would have been even more limited.
The first year in the club is a phase of getting used to life and soccer in England. And at 21 years old, he is young, so we expect him to explode in the second half of the season and next year and beyond.