U18s disappoint again

[TLW]

Liverpool's failing U18s side put in another abject performance to rank up there with the worst of this season, and duly crashed to a well-deserved 1-0 defeat against Derby at the academy on Saturday. The result and performance leaves the young reds in deep crisis as the season draws to a close. The Reds players, having just come from a week's break in Abu Dhabi, looked like a team in desperate need of a long, long holiday, and team spirit seems at a new record low.


In a first half which saw decent football in very brief spells from the home side, Liverpool needed an Henchoz-esque goalline save from Astrit Ajdarevic to keep the game scoreless.

But in the second half the Reds' luck ran out as the ref awarded a penalty to the visitors in a situation where the forward looked to be running the ball out of play on his own. The Derby player stepped up and struck the ball high past Martin Hansen from the spot.

And to make matters worse Derby then managed to miss several further chances, one from three yards, without the Reds offering much in terms of dominance at the other end.

The Reds did carve out one single decent chance when there was chaos in the visitors' box following a set piece, but in the end the Derby defence managed to scramble the ball away from Joe Kennedy almost on the goalline.

Substitute Shane O'Connor managed to put in a string of dangerous crosses from the left, but none of them were attacked by anyone and the Derby defence could deal with them with relative ease.

The midfield looks like it lacks organisation as Highdale and Ajdarevic are often playing too far apart to make up an effective partnership. There seems to be no role assigned to either of them.

And up front both David Amoo and Marvin Pourie continue to frustrate each other and their team mates with a glaring inability to pass the ball. Or indeed to score goals.

Liverpool U18: Hansen; Scott, Mackay Steven (60th: O'Connor) Irwin, Kennedy; Amoo, Kacaniklic, Highdale, Ajdarevic; Pourie (70th: Unknown Swiss player), Pepper.


* In other news, Michael Collins left the academy on Saturday after having agreed to a mutual termination of his Liverpool contract