It feels like every conversation about squad options turns into a binary. Either a lad is the fix for everything, or he’s not worth a minute. Truth is, Harvey Elliott sits in that messy middle. He’s not the solution to Liverpool’s bigger problems, and he probably isn’t a long-term answer in a starting XI that wants power and intensity. But that doesn’t mean he can’t be handy cover.
The point isn’t “start him every week”. It’s “can he take minutes without the whole side falling apart?” With the schedule about to thicken up again, that question matters. Champions League nights and FA Cup weekends don’t politely wait for you to be fully stocked. You need bodies who can do a job, even if they’re not your ideal profile.
Lightweight doesn’t mean useless
Elliott’s always going to get tagged as lightweight. Sometimes that’s fair. In certain games, against certain midfields, you can see why managers hesitate. He’s not built to play like Szoboszlai, and asking him to replicate that running power is just setting him up to fail.
But not every role is Dom’s role. If you’re talking about rotation for Mohamed Salah’s minutes, or even shifting around the right-sided attacking midfield space depending on the opponent, Elliott’s skillset becomes more relevant. He finds pockets, he links play, and he can combine quickly when the tempo is right. That’s not nothing.
Systems change, players look different
One big thing in Elliott’s favour is that suitability isn’t fixed. What didn’t work in one set-up can look completely different in another. Last season, if the idea is to overload the middle to manufacture 1v1s wide, then you’re asking your right-sided players to cover big areas, win duels, and still arrive in good spots. Elliott can struggle when the job description turns into constant physical insurance.
If the current approach is a genuine shift, then it’s fair to say Elliott could suit it more. Give him clearer passing angles, a bit more structure around him, and suddenly he’s not chasing shadows, he’s actually playing football.
The right side is thin, so be realistic
This is the part people keep skipping. Liverpool’s squad depth isn’t as endless as it looks on a graphic. If Szoboszlai is suspended and you’re already juggling availability elsewhere, the right side can get light quickly. That’s when “not the worst cover” becomes a sensible bar.
Throwing a kid into that channel because it sounds brave on a forum isn’t always clever. There’s a reason experience counts in that area of the pitch. Elliott’s played there plenty for Liverpool. He knows the distances, the responsibilities, and the moments when you can gamble. So no, he’s not the answer to everything. But as a minutes-eater and a rotation option? He’s perfectly reasonable.
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