Youth Team/Cup

[sir roger]

It has got better in the last couple of seasons, but is still lacking.

 

I've wanted the club to enter our 23s into the Checkatrade Trophy these past couple of seasons. It would put the young lads up against seasoned professionals and has the incentive of a Wembley final at the end of it.

 

 

 

One of the few things I have disagreed with Klopp over, I understand his love for technique , but you need to show it in stressful matches and at some point you need to be able to cope with seasoned professionals trying to intimidate you if you are going to go on to be a decent pro. I thought the Checkatrade was manna from heaven when I saw it mooted.

[thegreatelephant]

Klopp is 'Swerving the Checkatrade'

[Grinch]

What's the notion behind not playing in it?

[aws]

It's only rated 4.9.

[Ronnie Whelan]

We have some cracking talents like Woodburn and the lads on the bench at the weekend plus several more but there is a lot to be said for playing "mans" football. Even playing against alehouse strikers would be a great learning for say Conor Masterson.

 

It would be great if we could wrap up top 4 with 2-3 games to spare to get them in the team.

[TheHowieLama]

It's a real shame the U-23 structure is so shit. It would be great if the youngsters could get regular challenging games so we didn't have to farm them out on loan and end up disrupting the other age groups as well. No wonder it's so difficult for players to come through in this country.

 

I think you are way off the mark here -- for me U-23 is the most meaningless division there is.

 

Top players in the world are a few seasons into their senior career at 22 or 23. 

 

Recently - I cannot think of a single player we have had that wasn't established at that age that went on to play regular first team football.

 

To Ronnies point - Woodburn is what 18, Masterson is 19 - who are they going to play in a U-23 that will give them a footballing experience? If you want them to toughen up - send them to the Championship. If you want them to ever have a chance of playing for Liverpool - don't.

[alles ist gut]

Under-23s derby, (7pm, at Southport F.C., LFCTV/ youtube) :-

 

[alles ist gut]

Half-time, and we're 2-0 up.

We haven't played well, but we got a penalty when Masterson was pushed over at a set-piece, and Solanke converted, then a cross by Camacho was sliced past his own keeper by Lewis Gibson, and here we are.

[alles ist gut]

It finished 3-1 to us; our third came after a goalmouth scramble from another set-piece, Nat Phillips poking it into the net. They got one back with ten minutes left when their substitute Sambou ran onto a long ball, held off Masterson and beat Ward. The lovable Blues might have had their right-back sent off in stoppage time when he made a pathetic attempt to punch Whelan while he was killing time by the corner flag, but the ref didn't get a good view, and the assistant was curiously unhelpful, despite being 5 yards away.

Not a great performance, but three points for a change.

[Red House]

Meanwhile, the mancs U23 have been relegated from the PL2 top flight, Ha!

[3 Stacks]

Apparently Liam Millar, U18 striker, is impressing and has been given a squad number by Klopp. Rooting for him particularly as he's a fellow Canadian. 

[Johnlj]

Canadians are ace*

 

 

 

 

 

 

* At hockey

 

 

 

 

 

* Hopefully football aswell

[alles ist gut]

Under-18s vs. MUFC, Kirkby, 7 p.m. (LFCTV) :-

 

[alles ist gut]

1-0 Millar, tap in from a Lewis cross.

[alles ist gut]

1-1 Laird equalised after a corner wasn't cleared.

[alles ist gut]

Halftime 1-1

[alles ist gut]

Rhys Williams given a straight red fo what looked a rash tackle.

 

EDIT : from side on, it appears that Williams did not make contact, and the opposition player jumped over his lunge.

[alles ist gut]

Camacho makes it 2-1, solo run cutting in from the left and finishing from 15 yards out.

[alles ist gut]

Stoppage time sub, Boyes on for Savage

[alles ist gut]

It finishes 2-1.

Arguably as good a performance as this age group have had all year.

Fuck that ref.

[alles ist gut]

In other news, Arsenal win the Under-23 league by beating West Ham 3-1.

[alles ist gut]

Rafael Camacho missed a penalty as Liverpool U18s ended their 2017-18 campaign with a 2-0 defeat away at Manchester City on Saturday morning, writes Steve Hunter. Two goals in the opening 45 minutes were enough for the home side to secure a second placed finish ahead of Steven Gerrard's team.

The young Reds, who included Liam Coyle in their starting XI for the first time since September after returning from a back injury, created some great chances but just couldn't put them away. Henri Ogunby opened the scoring on 14 minutes and Keke Simmonds increased City's advantage with the second goal. Camacho then missed a great opening from close range as Gerrard's charges tried to find a way back into the game. A lifeline came early in the second half when the Reds were awarded a penalty kick, but unfortunately Camacho fired his effort over the bar.

Reflecting on the final game of the season, Gerrard told Liverpoolfc.com: "We were second best all over the field in the first half but we had a great chance when Rafa hit the bar from just eight yards out. There were a lot of positives to take from our second half display. Rafa missed a penalty, we had one cleared off the line and missed some great chances. I'm not saying we should have won the game but we certainly created enough chances to have taken something from it. We did well in the second half and it was much improved from the first half."

 

Liverpool U18s: Kelleher, Larouci, Boyes (Walls, 80), Coyle (Hunter, 45), Clayton, Savage, McAuley (O'Rourke, 70), Dixon-Bonner, Millar, Camacho, Sharif.

http://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/academy/300032-report-camacho-misses-a-penalty-as-u18s-lose-at-city

[alles ist gut]

Under-23s vs. Chelsea (Anfield, 7 p.m., LFCTV et al.) :-

 

 

Good to see Liam Coyle fit again; mildly concerning that Masterson isn't playing.

[Allan]

Under-23s vs. Chelsea (Anfield, 7 p.m., LFCTV et al.) :-

 

Good to see Liam Coyle fit again; mildly concerning that Masterson isn't playing.

 

Surely Masterson isn't involved in case of injury to one of the 3 senior centre backs. Nothing more to it than that, I would suspect.

[alles ist gut]

1-0!

 

Lewis corner headed in by George Johnston.