Liverpool already has Mason Mount plan B as pressing monster can prove Jamie Carragher wrong

This season, we saw a drop in both the intensity and the effectiveness of Liverpool’s renowned pressing game.

In 2021/22, when the Reds amassed 92 Premier League points and finished second, they notched a defensive action (like a tackle or an interception) every 9.9 opposition passes, the best mark in the division. But in 22/23, the other team was typically given more time on the ball (10.4 passes per defensive action).

And while they remained in the league’s top two for high turnovers (regains within 40m of the opponent’s goal), there was still a sharp drop from 443 to 368.

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Fortunately, ahead of next season, Liverpool already has a group of players ready to lead it back to its former heights.

One of them is January signing Cody Gakpo, who sat second in the league (minimum 1,500 minutes played) for possession-adjusted pressures per 90 minutes with 36.0. Together with Manchester City’s table-topping Julian Álvarez (37.3), he was in a different league to the rest of the pack.

Another who’s up there, somewhat surprisingly in light of his apparent physical decline, is Jordan Henderson, seventh in the charts on 25 pressures per 90.

But the most intriguing inclusion on the list, given his age and his position, is Harvey Elliott, who only turned 20 in April.

Elliott (26.1) sits in fourth place, only behind Álvarez, Gakpo and Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher (29.2).

Jamie Carragher has previously suggested he doesn’t fit the mold of a Jürgen Klopp midfielder (via This is Anfield), but these stats would certainly suggest otherwise.

And what’s more, they could be his ticket into the side long-term, provided he improves the efficacy of his pressures by working on the subtleties like timing and angles.

Liverpool has been chasing Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount (via The Athletic), and sure enough, he too features in the top five on 25.9.

He looked like an ideal fit for Klopp’s style of play, but he now seems more likely to join Manchester United, with Sky Sports reporting on Saturday that the Red Devils have opened talks with Chelsea and don’t expect personal terms to be an issue.

If indeed Liverpool does miss out on Mount, then you could make the case that Elliott is a ready-made plan B.

Yes, he’s much less polished than his counterpart at Stamford Bridge as an attacking midfielder right now, but crucially he shares the same monstrous pressing output.

And while his defensive impact must improve to match his application, it’s certainly a project worth pursuing.