Liverpool have found unlikely Fabinho cover for Jürgen Klopp in the EFL Cup win over Norwich
When Tyler Morton was withdrawn after 45 minutes of the latest Liverpool under-23s game, it was a decent indication that he may well have some involvement in the EFL Cup against Norwich City. He missed out on a start, despite James Milner getting ill — Jürgen Klopp instead opted to operate without a recognised defensive midfielder, playing Curtis Jones as the deepest of the midfield three.
However, when a slight knock prompted the withdrawal of Naby Keïta at half-time, Morton got his moment. He came on as the defensive shield, freeing up Jones to play further forward while offering some protection to the back line. As a result, Liverpool undoubtedly looked more assured in the second half, and the team’s progress into the fourth round owes much to the 18-year-old.
Jones, for his many great qualities, is not a number six. Shoehorned into the position on his 50th appearance for the club, he got forward with far more regularity than Fabinho. He looked dangerous while doing so, but there was at least equal danger in the hole that was left in the centre of the park. Norwich repeatedly found themselves up against only a retreating back line: a tough ask for Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konaté, neither of whom have played much football recently.
In fairness, the young centre-backs mostly dealt with the challenge admirably. Caoimhín Kelleher also played a key role, sweeping impressively to make up for the defensive vulnerability. However, the regularity with which the opposition got into dangerous positions was not even sustainable for a full half, let alone a season: Liverpool need a defensive-minded midfielder as one of the three.
Enter Morton. Arguably, he should have been given a start by Klopp: particularly with Milner out, he really was the only available option who could plausibly be described as a defensive midfielder. However, the German understandably made the decision not to thrust the 18-year-old into a starting debut in a key position on the pitch.
Come the full time whistle, though, Klopp may have been rueing his hesitation on the youngster. Morton proved that he can more than hold his own at this level: he was pretty impressive in pre-season, and carried that form straight over into his first competitive outing. Liverpool looked much improved, with very few nervous moments to deal with at all in the second period.
This will have been particularly interesting to the manager given the scarcity in this position. Even Milner, who was in line to start as the six before illness struck, is clearly not a natural defensive midfielder: he started as a winger, and age has moved him gradually back down the field. Could Morton have just played his way into a role as Fabinho’s understudy?
This might be taking things too far, and there is no need to rush the 18-year-old’s development, but Tyler Morton certainly gave Klopp and the fans plenty of room for optimism against Norwich City.
