Aston Villa (A) League Cup 1/4 Final 17/12/19 - 19:45

[Guest Pistonbroke]

No doubt the Trolls will be lining up to treat the result as if it was important and we played a strong team. It'll be funny as fuck if the youngsters put on a show and beat them. 

[AngryOfTuebrook]

Villa will surely play a strong side, won't they. This is their best chance of something interesting this season.

 

If the bairns get a result it would deserve to be ranked among the most impressive achievements of the season. 

[Guest Pistonbroke]

10 minutes ago, AngryofTuebrook said:

Villa will surely play a strong side, won't they. This is their best chance of something interesting this season.

 

If the bairns get a result it would deserve to be ranked among the most impressive achievements of the season. 

 

Villa are in a relegation battle now and have two six pointers coming up against Southampton and Norwich at home. I doubt they'll play a strong side, especially when they know we'll be playing youngsters. No doubt they'll play one or two and a lot of bench warmers. They have a big squad due to buying a shit load of players after promotion, so whoever they play will make it a huge task for our youngsters as they'll be up against players with international pedigree. 

[Herp McDerp]

We'll get pasted. Klopp will be gutted I'm sure.

[aws]

1 hour ago, Lizzie Birdsworths Wrinkled Chopper said:

Hoever, Williams and Brewster will be in that side.

 

Is it not the case that some of them including Jones will play against Villa then fly to Qatar then next day to watch the first game?

I think those you mention plus Elliot are supposed to fly out later but not seen anything definite

[jonnyp]

Maybe it comes down to the impudence of youth, when staring into the face of mighty odds.

 

Maybe the collective respond to their leader’s trust in them.

 

Maybe the headlines writes themselves.

 

Maybe we talk about this day as the one that a quadruple was formed on.

 

Maybe the footballing gods will allow us to continue to thumb our noses at those that continue to try and stack the pack in their favour. 
 

Maybe instead of lambs to the wolves, it is our Spartans in the making seeking their first wolf.

[alles ist gut]

(Types gossip, deletes it again...)

Williams appears to have boarded today’s flight to Qatar, based on a pic on the offal.

People expecting Brewster to turn up Tuesday having not played at any level for a month are... er, entitled to their opinion.

[Herp McDerp]

26 minutes ago, jonnyp said:

 Maybe we talk about this day as the one that a quadruple was formed on.



 

If this isn't a bannable offence I don't know what is.

[aRdja]

1 hour ago, alles ist gut said:

(Types gossip, deletes it again...)

Williams appears to have boarded today’s flight to Qatar, based on a pic on the offal.

People expecting Brewster to turn up Tuesday having not played at any level for a month are... er, entitled to their opinion.

Give us your XI then

[jonnyp]

2 hours ago, Herp McDerp said:

 

If this isn't a bannable offence I don't know what is.

 

All maybes, all hypothetical, but thanks for the neg and knee jerk reaction.

 

[aRdja]

Interesting write-up.

 

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/liverpool-face-serious-defensive-issue-17423152.amp?__twitter_impression=true

 

Quote

Liverpool face serious defensive issue as new strikeforce including Harvey Elliott emerges

Liverpool face a number of selection issues ahead of a big week both home and abroad

Sepp van den Berg and Ki-Jana Hoever attend a Liverpool training session at Melwood

Liverpool will this week play two games inside 24 hours.

The first takes place on the outskirts of Birmingham at Villa Park on Tuesday at 7.45pm while the other will be in Qatar capital Doha at the Khalifa International Stadium on Wednesday at 5.30pm.

The fact that both games are taking place so far away from each other has presented somewhat of a logistical nightmare for Jurgen Klopp.

However, it has been confirmed who the Reds are sending out to the Middle East to face Monterrey in the Club World Cup and so in turn there is a more solid understanding of who is going to turn out in the League Cup quarter-final against Aston Villa.

And the ECHO have looked at the team Liverpool could field for the domestic match with a slew of changes incoming.

Full-back a serious problem

Liverpool are lucky in the sense they have a roster of talented youngsters at their disposal who can come in and fill in for the senior side at the drop of the hat to great effect.

Against Arsenal, a set of Reds' youngsters - paired with a number of fully-established first-team players - produced an exciting display before putting the Gunners to the sword on penalties after a 5-5 draw.

While a number of that team will play once again, several will be missing due to travelling out to try and claim the first Club World Cup trophy in Liverpool's history.

Sepp van den Berg and Ki-Jana Hoever(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

And that leaves Academy staff Neil Critchley and Vitor Matos, who will take charge on Tuesday, with a problem about who fills in - not least because of injuries.

A significant amount of the team can fill itself, Caoimhin Kelleher set to play in goal while Sepp van den Berg and Ki-Jana Hoever are likely to pair up in the heart of defence.

What's tricky, though, is who plays on either side of the young centre-backs.

Jurgen Klopp – centre-back injury situation is not ‘cool’

Yasser Larouci and Adam Lewis would be obvious choices but both are injured, though the ECHO understands Larouci could make the bench, while Neco Williams is on the plane to Qatar so clearly unavailable.

There is the likes of Morgan Boyes and Tony Gallacher, though both predominantly play at left-back, and it will be interesting to see the defensive set-up on Tuesday evening,

Strike force for the future

Harvey Elliott and Rhian Brewster are two of the most exciting players in academy football and both are knocking on the door already for first-team appearances despite both being born this side of the millennium and being just 16 and 19 respectively.

They will start as part of a likely front three against the Villans and there are a number of young players who could join them with Curtis Jones in Qatar.

There is the talented Luis Longstaff, while Layton Stewart is an out-and-out goalscorer, Elijah Dixon-Bonner is a creative force and Fidel O'Rourke is a lively forward too.

Harvey Elliott and Rhian Brewster of Liverpool look on during the warm-up ahead of the UEFA Super Cup match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Besiktas Park

Liverpool are blessed with truly solid options at the head of the field and, for whoever they select, it will be a chance to show just they can do in a difficult, senior and important match for the Reds.

And while it may not necessarily be a guaranteed line-up for the future, it will be a solid and exciting glimpse into the future for Liverpool.

Midfield maestros and the captain

The one area where Liverpool are well stocked up and down every level of the club is in midfield.

It is an incredibly fortunate position to be in for the European champions as they have excellent engine rooms and a number of players who are more than proficient at showcasing their talent in that area.

In the Carabao Cup a likely midfield three will centre on the pivot on Pedro Chirivella, who is also in line to wear the captain's armband on Tuesday, while he could be joined by any of the excellent Leighton Clarkson, Jake Cain, Elijah Dixon-Bonner, Herbie Kane or Isaac Christie-Davies.

Must-read Liverpool FC news

Again whatever the selection it will be another glance into the crystal ball about what is to come from the Academy as Liverpool make strides in world football.

 

[Funkasy]

23 hours ago, Pistonbroke said:

No doubt the Trolls will be lining up to treat the result as if it was important and we played a strong team. It'll be funny as fuck if the youngsters put on a show and beat them. 

i hope not!

[joe_fishfish]

What's the beef with Brewster then, injured again?

[magicrat]

I have zero expectations of beating Villa and realistically we will do well to avoid a snotting . Not sure I agree with Klopp taking such a strong squad to the WCC and leaving no one behind with 1 st team experience. 

[El Rojo]

Fidel O’Rourke is a fantastic name. 

[Dr Nowt]

Rightly or wrongly it seems the aim for this year was to pick up the two extra baubles available from winning in Madrid, put everything in on winning the title and then make the best fist possible of defending our European crown, getting to the latter stages and seeing what happens once we’ve given ourselves that chance.

 

Be interesting to see how we would treat the domestics cups next year if we won in Qatar and ended up league and/or European champions, but for this year, seems they’re way, way down the list.

 

The end will be everything in either fully justifying the means or prompting criticism come season end, I guess.

[sir roger]

Financially and prestige-wise the two competitions are miles apart so the CWC was always going to be prioritised, and the rule believed to state that everybody had to be in Qatar a couple of days before the first game or would be ineligible made the logistics almost impossible , so I think we have shrugged our shoulders and accepted we will almost certainly get beat but hope the kids give a good account and enjoy the night.

[aRdja]

 

[diamondjoe]

23 hours ago, El Rojo said:

Fidel O’Rourke is a fantastic name. 

Can see him Havana great game

[Anubis]

Cry havoc, and unleash the puppies of war!

[an tha]

Villa 2/5 tonight.

 

Thought would be much shorter than that - about 1/5...

 

Against a whole u23 team many of who played in that checkatrade trophy lark and got dicked by league 1 and 2 teams

[El Rojo]

8 minutes ago, diamondjoe said:

Can see him Havana great game

We’ll get close but probably no cigar. 

[an tha]

Villa -2 is 9/4.

 

That is really tempting.

[El Rojo]

4 minutes ago, an tha said:

Villa -2 is 9/4.

 

That is really tempting.

FSG loading on Villa as we speak to finance the Sancho deal. 

[Herp McDerp]

14 minutes ago, El Rojo said:

FSG loading on Villa as we speak to finance the Sancho deal. 

 

Mboopi 2020 here we come