After a tough night at Anfield, rising West Ham star Ollie Scarles received a priceless gesture of support and wisdom from Jamie Carragher that showed the Liverpool legend’s true class.
There is a famous saying attributed to legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi that West Ham star Ollie Scarles would do well to take note of.
“It’s not about how hard you get knocked down, but how quickly you get back up,” Lombardi once famously said.
The powerful quote could relate to West Ham as a football club right now after a miserable season and a half.
It emphasises resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity and highlights the importance of bouncing back from challenges rather than dwelling on setbacks.
Salah teaches Scarles a painful lesson
Young Academy star Scarles has certainly had a setback in the last two weeks.
The 19-year-old has been hailed for his performances since breaking into the Hammers first team as a starter under Graham Potter.
An obvious highlight so far was his excellent display in West Ham’s 1-0 win away at Arsenal.
After that game Ollie Scarles received a touching gesture and words from ex West Ham captain Declan Rice.
Now he needs to take words on board from another experienced voice who has stood in his shoes.
When making Scarles his first choice left-back, Potter warned the teenager would go through peaks and troughs like most young players.
If Arsenal was his peak so far, then Liverpool is most certainly his trough.
In truth Scarles struggled in the games against Wolves and Bournemouth heading into the trip to champions-elect Liverpool.
He was substituted at midway through both those matches.
And it was the same again after he was given a torrid time by Mohamed Salah.
The Egyptian, fresh from ending years of speculation by signing a new contract, spun away from Scarles’ naïve attempt to beat him to the ball near the halfway line.
Salah strode forward and set up Luis Diaz to make it 1-0.
While Scarles did not crumble by any means, Salah continued to subject the youngster to a major lesson.
Classy Carragher’s priceless wisdom for West Ham star Scarles
Potter had seen enough just 10 minutes into the second half and brought Scarles off for Vladimir Coufal, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka switching sides.
Scarles looked visibly disheartened by his difficult afternoon as he made his way off the pitch.
But classy Jamie Carragher made time to offer priceless wisdom to West Ham star Scarles after his Anfield trauma.
As Scarles was taken off, Carragher took a pause from commentating on the actual game to offer Scarles pearls of wisdom he should take on board.
Especially given Carragher himself knows all about what the young Hammer has just been through having experienced the same himself as an emerging defender in the Premier League.
The Liverpool legend says Scarles must – and will – use the experience to better himself and build on a ‘brilliant start to his West Ham career’.
Carragher: Scarles will use Anfield trauma to better himself
“It hasn’t (been an easy afternoon for him),” Carragher said live on Sky Sports.
“We’ve all been there. Certainly I’ve got experience of being a young defender and you come up against players, or you have games, that you look back on in years to come and you’ll tell those stories about coming up against Mo Salah, one of the greatest players ever seen in the Premier League.
“And he’ll definitely use that experience going forwards.
“Because he’s made a brilliant start to his West Ham career.
“That’s one of those games he’ll look back at, maybe not fondly today, but I’m sure he’ll use it to better himself going forward.”
Some West Ham fans have questioned why Scarles is starting over Emerson after some difficult performances.
Particularly as Emerson has played well when coming on of late.
It’s a legitimate question for Potter.
Don’t forget the struggles of Noble and Rice
But with no jeopardy in West Ham’s season, when better to give Scarles a run of games to get these valuable experiences and learn from them?
Mark Noble, now sporting director and the bridge between the Academy and first team at West Ham, went through the same thing.
So too did Declan Rice. We all remember Rice being hooked at half-time after struggling in some games under Manuel Pellegrini.
And when David Moyes scalded Rice for ducking a header in a defeat at Arsenal.
Failure is a bruise not a tattoo as they say.
Scarles may have failed to live with Salah at Anfield – but he is far from the first and certainly won’t be the last.
The important thing now is he takes the advice from the likes of Carragher and uses the experience to improve, starting against Southampton next weekend.
Because, as Lombardi famously said, it’s all about how quickly you get back up.
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