"Almost cost us towards the end", "He's a liability" - Fans call out Liverpool star despite 2-1 win over Southampton
Fans online slammed Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah despite The Reds' win against Southampton in the quarter-final of the EFL Cup on Wednesday, December 18. Goals from Darwin Nunez (24') and Harvey Elliott (32') ensured a 2-1 victory for Arne Slot's side at St. Mary's Stadium.
Liverpool academy graduate Jarell Quansah was promoted to the first team last year and has been used sparingly by coach Arne Slot. The 21-year-old has played just eight games across competitions at an average of 50 minutes per game this season.
Quansah partnered with Wataru Endo at centre-back for Liverpool against the Saints. However, the Englishman struggled to find his rhythm in the game and made a lot of errors. He was also too slow to react when Cameron Archer cut inside to take the shot leading to Southampton's only goal in the 59th minute.
Fans on social media have slammed Quansah for his defensive mistakes in the game. Some popular comments are as follows:
"Whatever ego trip Quansah is on, he needs to come off. Played soo blasé the whole game then almost costs us towards the end," a fan wrote on X.
"Quansah is one of the worst defenders I've seen it's not even funny," added another.
"Quansah is soo average. Slow to make a decision on the ball, makes lots of errors... He's a liability at the back," another fan chimed in.
One Liverpool faithful opined that the team needs a better defensive option than Jarell Quansah to win the title race this season.
"We need a better option as CB than Quansah. It will cost us if we have to play him in a title race," wrote the fan on X.
"Quansah has probably about 2 clangers a game. Not a position you want to be having them either," reacted another fan.
"Quansah the most useless defender," declared a netizen on X.
When Liverpool boss Arne Slot publicly slammed Jarell Quansah after a game
Liverpool manager Arne Slot had stern words for Jarell Quansah after his side's 2-0 win over Ipswich Town in the Premier League on August 17. The young Liverpool Academy graduate had an underwhelming performance in the game, resulting in him getting replaced at halftime by Ibrahima Konate.
After the game, Slot explained his decision to take off the 21-year-old in an interview (via Daily Mail):
"First thing I said - we don't have to speak about tactics if you lose so many duels. Jarell lost every duel, many of us lost too many duels. We needed Konate to win the long balls for the number nine. That gave us control. They put so much energy in the first half, keeping fighting, playing all over the pitch 1 vs 1, I don't think they could keep up that tempo in the second half."
When asked by the interviewer if the change was purely tactical, Slot replied with a simple "Yep."
Quansah attempted eight duels in the game, winning only four. He made just one interception in the game, committed two fouls, and gave the ball away thrice in the first half.
(The abovementioned statistics are taken from Sofascore on December 18, 2024, and are subject to change as per the website's prerogatives).