High expectations dangerous for Rossiter (ESPN article)

by Dave Usher for ESPN

For a while there it looked like 17-year-old Jordan Rossiter was going to be the big headline-maker from Liverpool's Capital One Cup victory over Middlesbrough on Tuesday night. Then Raheem Sterling and Kolo Toure conspired to alter the narrative by gifting 'Boro a last-gasp equaliser to set up one of the craziest penalty shootouts ever seen on these shores. Understandably, the completely bonkers 14-13 final scoreline dominated most of the next day's headlines, and while Rossiter's goal wasn't exactly forgotten, it didn't quite get the exposure you'd normally expect.

That may not be a bad thing if it helps to keep some of the spotlight off the promising teen, who marked his first senior appearance with a well-taken 10th-minute finish and a polished performance before being replaced late on by another teenager, Jordan Williams. I'm sure the Anfield hierarchy will be more than happy for the media to be focussing on the penalty shootout rather than hyping up the young midfielder, while the lad himself won't be worrying about any of that as he'll still be on cloud nine after his dream debut. He scored, Liverpool won; what more could a 17-year-old Kopite want?

We probably shouldn't have been too surprised he got himself on the scoresheet, as it's far from unusual for Academy graduates to mark their debuts with a goal. It's a well-worn path he is treading, as Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen and even Andre Wisdom and Jamie Carragher managed to find the net on either their debut or on their first full start. Going back further you can add Sammy Lee and Ronnie Whelan to the list, and if Rossiter is even half as successful as some of those illustrious names, he'll have enjoyed a fine career indeed. There are no guarantees, though: Leyton Maxwell scored in a League Cup tie against Hull City at Anfield 15 years ago but was never seen or heard from again.

It may seem strange to say, but even at 17 this debut felt like it had been a long time coming. Rossiter has been in and around the squad for a while and was an unused substitute at Chelsea and at home to Hull City. Clearly manager Brendan Rodgers has high hopes for him, and it's easy to see why.

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