Arne Slot saw one key question about his starting XI emphatically answered during today's match - opinion
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Arne Slot needs to make a change to the Liverpool starting XI after Conor Bradley’s performance against Everton.
It was an interesting afternoon at Anfield as the home side beat their local rivals from the blue side of the city 2-1 in a game of two halves for Slot’s side.
In the opening 45 minutes, they looked unplayable as Ryan Gravenberch finished his volley from an incredible angle, which was followed by a slick goal from Hugo Ekitike to take a 2-0 lead in the first half.
But the Toffees looked to threaten Liverpool as Idrissa Gueye broke through the defence to get one back and make it a more tense affair, sucking the life out of the ground.
Their performance in the second half was not up to par, but it seemed Bradley was a player who really struggled in his task of taking on Jack Grealish for 90 minutes.
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
He is their first-choice right back, but after the signing of Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen and his positive performance since joining the club, the derby needed him.
Bradley had a difficult job of marking Grealish, but by 85 minutes, the young full-back had lost seven of his 10 ground duels when facing the Blues.
It was also a struggle for him to keep the ball during this period, as he lost possession seven times.
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The reason the side desperately needed the introduction of Frimpong was for his pace and energy, as it seemed at times that the Northern Irishman could not handle the pace of the game.
His Dutch counterpart on Wednesday in the Champions League showed exactly why he deserved a start, because he contributed to the attack while being able to track back quickly with his speed.
A derby is always difficult to shine in, but when you have a dynamic player attacking the right flank, more than ever, you need to match it with the same energy.
After struggling against the pace and dynamism of the Englishman, it would be a perfect idea to give the Dutch right-back a start in next week’s Premier League game against Crystal Palace.
What Palace can do with their full-backs overlapping and using their pace down the wide areas, there is a need to cover that position with someone who can match them.
It would also allow more creativity, which was lacking from Bradley’s game because he was so focused on defensive duties.
There will be a struggle deciding who should be on that right-hand side, given the strength of depth, but there is only one choice for next week, and it is Frimpong.