This is exactly how the early rounds of the League Cup is supposed to be. Lower league opposition that allows you to field a mixture of fringe players and kids while still progressing to the next stage.
We haven’t had that opportunity in recent years as we kept getting difficult draws. The same thing has happened now as we face Arsenal next, but at least we had this game to blood some youngsters. And all in all, it was a resounding success.
Harvey Elliott was brilliant, Curtis Jones was very good too, Ki-Jana Hoever scored and Kelleher was very assured in goal (didn’t mention his first name as I can’t spell it and I’m too lazy to look it up). You’ve probably noted that I haven’t mentioned Rhian Brewster. I’ll get to him in a bit.
It was a good game with chances at both ends. I enjoyed it. It’s always nice when a few kids get a chance and perform well, plus we had the added bonus of giving run outs to the senior lads who haven’t played much. Being able to do all that and still win is just what you want.
It wasn’t all plain sailing though, MK Dons had four or five really good chances and some of our defending wasn’t what it should be. Lovren blundered in the first half and Gomez was beaten far too easily in the second. Other than that they were alright, but it’s fair to say neither of them did anything to put pressure on Matip.
Keita was back for his first game of the season and Ox got another run out to help with his sharpness. Naby was alright but didn’t do much, and Ox was generally disappointing other than a trademark run and shot from distance in the second half that came back off the post.
Lallana was given a chance in his new “controlling” role and he played well for the most part. The problem with him in this position is that he just can’t help himself from holding onto the ball and doing turns that will occasionally get him dispossessed. 90% of the time he’s fine, but every game I’ve seen him in this role he’s lost the ball once or twice in dangerous areas.
He got away with it because it’s MK Dons, but you could never play him there against anyone decent. With Fabinho, Gini and Hendo ahead of him that’s unlikely to happen anyway, but I’m just saying. Playing him in the League Cup is fine by me though.
He was heavily involved throughout and saw a lot of the ball as we dominated possession. You’d expect that of course, but with so many changes made to the side you never really know how we’re going to play. We started well though and had little trouble creating openings.
Elliott should have scored when he arrived at the back post to meet a Milner cutback, but his shot struck the underside of the bar. As I say, should have scored but it wasn’t as easy at it looked as he saw it late and the ball was a bit behind him. Bit unlucky really.
He then turned provider with a perfectly flighted ball to the back post that Milner headed wide. The window to play that ball was tiny as he had to drop it over the head of the last defender but needed to get it down quickly enough to keep it in play and find Milner. Brilliant that was, just pure quality.
The lively Jones had a snapshot saved and Brewster had a chance from a quality Milner cross but he failed to get anything on it.
They had two glorious chances but blasted both of them high over the bar. As a lower league side, you have to take your chances when they come along and they didn't do it. They paid the price when their keeper spilled a powerful drive from Milner into his own net just before half time.
Jones had a really good first half but Hoever wasn’t at his best. That was a role reversal from the last time they both played for the first team, when Hoever earned rave reviews and Jones had a really hard time in the FA Cup loss at Wolves. Hoever was better after the break though and capped a good night with a goal.
I’m a huge fan of his but some of his crossing was dreadful and he looked a bit frustrated with himself at times. Thankfully he scored so he’ll be feeling much better about things now and he should definitely start against Arsenal. He took the goal really well. The header itself wasn’t difficult but I liked how he drifted into the box and timed his run perfectly to get on the end of Milner’s superbly stood up ball to the back stick.
17 years old and he’s scoring for the first team. Let’s hope his career pans out better than Ben Woodburn, the last kid to do it.
Klopp made a couple of changes in the second half as Keita and Ox made way for Chirivella and Herbie Kane. Happy to see those lads get a run out as they’ve kind of been marooned here this season. Both are too good for the 23s and probably should be out on loan (or in Pedro’s case permanent).
I don’t know what happened there. Kane was brilliant on loan at Doncaster last season so won’t have been short of offers, but somehow the window closed and he was stuck here. Maybe he was injured, I can’t remember. He's a good player him though.
Chirivella is a weird one. I think he’s boss. I’ve always liked him and I can’t work out why there aren’t loads of clubs in for him. The loans he’s had have all been to clubs that in my opinion are way beneath his talent level, but I guess I must just be over-rating him because no-one seems to want him.
It baffles me as he’s such a tidy little player. Great on the ball, good passer, seems like a sound lad too. I’m happy he got to play for the first team again and hopefully he gets a decent move in January. He was good when he came on, he looked very comfortable and confident.
The last 15 minutes or so saw MK Dons have a real go and they probably should have scored. They had chances but Kelleher made a couple of good saves (he looked very assured all night) and Lovren headed one off the line. They also had an effort that skimmed the post and they probably deserved a goal on the balance of play.
We almost bagged another from a superbly worked counter attack that ended with Lallana finding Elliott and him being denied by the bar again. Deserved a goal that, quality move and a lovely effort from the kid on his weak foot. He’s such an exciting talent and definitely the best 16 year old we’ve had since Michael Owen.
Ok, so Brewster then. Have to say I was disappointed. After all the hype, all the interviews, all the LFCTV coverage of him, he finally makes a first team appearance and this was what we got? It’s not like he was bad, he was just very ‘meh’. And if I’m being honest, I wasn’t surprised.
Klopp loves him, the staff all think really highly of him, he’s a superstar in the England youth ranks, he’s been hyped up for two years and everyone I speak to tells me that he’s special. Yet I’ve never been blown away by him. In fairness it’s not like I’ve seen that much of him as he missed so many u23 games through injury, but what I have seen of him has not made me think he’s this wonderkid that people say he is.
I spoke to Neil Mellor over the summer and asked him what he thinks. I’ve known him for a long time and spoken about countless youth prospects with him over the years, and he’s not easily impressed. Generally he’s quite sceptical over all these ‘next big things’ but he rates Brewster highly. I told him I wasn’t convinced and he assured me that I’m wrong, which was what I wanted to hear.
He knows far more than me and Klopp obviously knows more than me too. So even though I’ve never seen anything myself to convince me he’s that good, I’m willing to accept that he is on the basis that people who’ve seen him a lot more than I have, and who know far more than I do, think he’s special.
So I want to believe in him. I really do. I want to see something from him that makes me go “wow” and to convince me that he is this sure fire young prospect who will establish himself as a first team calibre player and save us a fortune in the transfer market.
A good performance in this game would have helped with that but he really didn’t do much at all. That’s a problem, because not only is he behind Salah, Bobby, Mané, Shaqiri and Divock, he may just have fallen behind Elliott too. He looks like a penalty box striker to me, but that’s not really what we have in the first team. Even Origi can play wide, I’m not sure Brewster can.
I don’t like being this negative and I do feel sometimes like I’m too harsh on Brewster. I’m not sure why, as usually I’m as supportive of the young kids anyone, I always have been. I think in this case it’s because we’ve had him forced down our throats for so long, even though he’d never even played a single minute of first team football.
It annoyed me. He’s front and centre in every dressing room video and he’s going the barbers wearing a medal that he did nothing to earn and he’s posting it on instagram. Maybe it’s an age thing, but my first instinct is “maybe actually play a game before you’re carrying on like you’ve made it”.
So because of all of that, I’m probably holding him to a higher standard than I normally would with young players. Maybe it’s fair, maybe it isn’t. I’m not saying I’m right, I’m just explaining how I feel.
I genuinely hope he is the player I keep hearing he is and I hope he starts showing it soon. If that turns out to be the case I’ll be made up. I want him to be brilliant, I’m just waiting to see something that makes me believe he will be.
He’s got his work cut out though because he’s got some of the best players in the world ahead of him and the only way to improve is to play, and he’s not going to play much.
Even though we’ve got Arsenal next I hope that Brewster and others will get another chance to play. I look at it like this; just because we’re playing a top side doesn’t mean we need to go full strength. If we lose, so what? The League Cup is not important to us. If we were to win it, great, but I wouldn’t be risking any senior players to do it.
Maybe we will go a little stronger next time, but essentially it should be a second string team with not a single regular starter playing. Shaqiri, Adrian and Origi may well be back for Arsenal, but the likes of Hoever, Jones, Brewster and Elliott deserve to play because it’s the only way they’re going to improve. In my eyes, that’s more important that trying to win the League Cup.
Star man is Elliott. Jones got it on Sky and I’m happy for him because he wasn’t good on his only previous senior outing at Wolves last year. He had a dip after that but he’s started this season in great form for the 23s. It was great to see him show what he can do and hopefully he can kick on from that. He’s a huge talent, the only question I have over him is where does he play? He’s not a flyer, which rules him out of being a viable front three option in the first team, but he could go on to be a really good midfield player.
Elliott on the other hand, looks like he could be a viable back up to Salah even now. He won’t be, because he’s behind Shaqiri, but if we had injuries and needed to put him in for some Premier League games I have no doubt he could handle it, as the lad looks like being one of those rare generational talents. If his attitude is right, he could be a superstar.
While we’re all understandably praising the kids for how they played, if we’re being completely fair about it then the best player on the pitch was really Milner. He scored one, made one and was involved in everything. He even made a goal saving block.
He should have been the star man but he wouldn’t begrudge Elliott getting it as he’s been there himself, the 16 year old making a big splash on his debut. Milner was great though, as you’d expect. Give him a new contract, for fucks sake.
So Arsenal next. I think they played some kids in their game too, so maybe Jurgen can get on the phone with Emery and come to an arrangement where they both field similar sides again.
It’s always a worry when you play another top side, because if you pick a load of kids they can screw you over by going full strength. I don’t think Arsenal will do that and hopefully we’ll see both teams give their second string a run out as that could be a cracking game.
Team: Kelleher; Hoever, Gomez, Lovren, Milner; Lallana, Oxlade-Chamberlain (Kane), Keita (Chirivella); Elliott, Brewster, Jones:
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