Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott revealed that he had “very honest” discussions with head coach Arne Slot during his lack of playing time, but insists that he is always hungry to contribute to the success of his team.
Elliott scored the winning goal of Liverpool in the first leg of their equality in the Champions League against the Saint-Germain of Paris, finishing with his first touch after being out of the bench in the 85th minute at the Parc des Princes.
The 21 -year -old made 18 appearances for Liverpool this season, but only started four times and, after being the hero against PSG, he admitted to having discussed his desire for more minutes with Slot.
“Yes, we had conversations,” said Elliott. “Very honest conversations and open conversations. It is for me to put the work, to be honest and to show him everything he told me. I try to work on it, I try to improve and I try to be part of this team.
“At the same time, I have the impression that I cannot be too angry and frustrated because, frankly, the team goes incredible. As I said, it’s a team game. It is not for me. I just need to make sure that I am ready in moments like this evening when I can contribute. Just make sure I am in the right mindset to come and influence the game.
“There are periods when I want to play and it does not happen. But moments like tonight, it keeps me motivated and hunger is always in me to go out and show what I can do and influence the game as much as possible.
“I think not only myself, but any football player would like to play every match. It’s just not humanly possible, you just have to wait for your moments. And nights like this evening, take advantage and enjoy it.”
Elliott joined Liverpool de Fulham in 2019 and burst into the first team under Jürgen Klopp. He impressed for the Slot team in pre-season, but his opportunities were limited this quarter after fracturing the foot during their international service in September.
Thinking about how he has dealt with the challenges of this season, Elliott said: “I think that as a player, you must always stay composed. Football is full of ups and downs. You can spend periods of time, you can’t play, and things don’t really turn you.
“Like this evening, the opportunities, although there was not much playing time, just trying to see what you can do. Today, it fell perfectly with me and I just needed to make sure to have a good connection and put the ball on the back of the net. That’s what I did.”
Elliott also added: “I’m still young, it’s really difficult to understand in my head. I played 150 games for Liverpool, and I feel like I was very experienced in terms of this aspect.
“So there are moments in the season when I get angry, I am frustrated because I want to play, but at the same time I have to respect the situation, I must respect the decisions of the manager. Some games I need, certain games, I am not.
“This is how football is. This is why I have the impression that we are in the position that we are this season so far because of its decisions.”
