Credit: Sky Sports]

Connor Burgess

Mon 19 August 2024 9:30, UK

Gary Neville has backed the decision to remove Liverpool centre-back Jarell Quansah at half-time during the 2-0 win against Ipswich on Saturday [17 August].

Arne Slot became the first manager since Gerard Houlier to win their first Premier League match in charge of the Reds thanks to second-half goals from Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah.

Neville believes Slot made the right decision replacing Quansah for Ibrahima Konate at the midway point as he spoke on Sky Sports [18 August, 11m 24s], pointing out Liverpool gained control of the match following the change.

He said: “I mean subbing someone at half-time is big and I don’t think it’s done lightly by managers. It was the way after the game he was quite blunt about how he answered it – there was no holding back.

“So I think there’s an element there of him being quite sort of clinical and brutal and saying he reacted to the game and what was happening. He felt like they needed to win their duels. I think that was his main thread behind the decision. And it worked.

“In the second half, Liverpool were a lot better.”

Arne Slot made ruthless Liverpool decision on Jarell Quansah

Liverpool took control of the match after Ipswich got the better of the exchanges in the opening 45 minutes and ultimately won due to the half-time substitution.

Quansah was fantastic for the Reds throughout pre-season and deserved his starting place for the Premier League opener but he still has a lot to learn to become a regular starter in this Liverpool side.

The 21-year-old was one of the breakout stars last campaign under Jurgen Klopp, making 34 appearances across all competitions while scoring three goals and assisting three more.

He has a bright future ahead of him at Anfield but he paid the price for his errors at the weekend, despite many supporters thinking his substitution was due to fitness rather than performance.

Slot said to TNT Sports: “The first thing I said was that we don’t have to talk about tactics if you lose so many duels.

“And that’s what we did. Not that Jarell lost every duel — many of us lost too many duels — but I think we needed Konate to win these long balls through the air for the No. 9. That gave us control.”

Jarell Quansah struggled for Liverpool v Ipswich

Quansah lost 50 per cent of his aerial duels and 50 per cent of his ground duels against Ipswich [Sofascore], while he was left in the dust in a foot race with Liam Delap in the closing stages of the first half.

For context, Virgil van Dijk won 75 per cent of the four aerial duels he contested alongside him.

Quansah was heavily involved in the exchanges as the newly-promoted side tested the Liverpool defence. He made three clearances, two tackles, one tackle as the last man, blocked one shot, and made one interception in an intense first half for the defender.

However, he notable also lost possession three times, which it goes without saying is not ideal for a defender in an Slot team that intends to pass out from the back.

He managed 35 touches during his time on the field and a pass accuracy of 89 per cent as he played his role in the build-up play from the back, albeit losing possession at times.

Quansah passed the eye test during his cameo, putting his body on the line to thwart the Ipswich attack, but the stats back up Slot’s decision to remove him from proceedings and gain more control of the contest.

The fine margins are what Slot is striving to achieve but undoubtedly Quansah will suffer a knock in confidence from the half-time removal and will now be a doubt to start the match against Brentford at Anfield on Sunday [25 August].

Now is the time to show he is capable enough to be a consistent performer in a Liverpool shirt and work to earn his spot back from Konate.

In other Liverpool news, Don Goodman has backed Liverpool for success after what an Arne Slot confidante assured him.

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