Jarell Quansah has impressed massively since stepping up to the first team, and one statistic in particular proves how much his team-mates trust him.
Quansah made his fourth start of the season in Wednesday night’s 2-1 victory over Bournemouth in the League Cup, partnering Joel Matip at centre-back.
It came in horrible conditions at Dean Court as Storm Ciaran set in, with high winds and torrential rain making it difficult for either side to gain a foothold.
But the 20-year-old stood out with his composed display, with Jurgen Klopp left saying “wow” in his post-match press conference.
“In these circumstances, wow. So many difficult balls to judge, to estimate, where is it coming down? He did really well,” the manager said.
“On the ball, Caoimhin thought give him the ball quite a lot and let’s see what he can do. He did really well there.”
? Jarell Quansah ended tonight’s game with 114 touches – at least 39 more than any other player.
Incredibly, he had more than twice the amount of touches of his centre-back partner, Joel Matip (50).
Making the step up look seamless. pic.twitter.com/uBASizAa2J
— Jack Lusby (@LusbyJack) November 1, 2023
Quansah was the out-ball almost every time in defence, with the youngster ending the fourth-round tie with the most touches for either side (114).
In fact, he recorded at least 39 more touches than any other player, per FotMob, the next-highest being Curtis Jones (75).
Remarkably, Quansah touched the ball more than twice the amount of centre-back partner Matip (50), and more than Mohamed Salah (56) and Dominik Szoboszlai (54) combined.
No player completed more passes than the academy graduate, who found a team-mate with 86 of 97 attempts for an accuracy rate of 89 percent.
In the storm on the south coast, Quansah also made the third-most passes into the final third for Liverpool, with four, behind only Harvey Elliott (10) and Joe Gomez (eight).
He also made the most defensive actions for his side, with 10, the next-highest being Matip (seven).
It was a performance of real responsibility from Quansah, when it could have been easy for him to allow Matip to take charge as the senior player at the back.
This approach also shows Liverpool’s faith in their No. 78, with his range of passing more expansive than Matip’s and therefore better suited to the game that played out on Wednesday.
While Quansah remains fifth-choice centre-back at this stage, it would be no surprise to see him given more opportunities in the coming months.
That could even come in the Premier League, rather than his regular avenues of the Europa League and League Cup, as he has proven he is capable of stepping up.
