Time for Liverpool to give promising youngsters a chance

In the space of 7 Premier League games, the reds assault on a Champions League place dwindled. Winning the League Cup, yet again, has proved to be an unlucky omen for a team's league campaign.

Admittedly three of the six defeats were against higher opposition in the league, but still, Liverpool's confidence appears to have taken so many knocks in the League that the last seven games should be used to experiment.

Liverpool's inability to fire the goals away, particularly in the first half of the season when the team was playing some dominant football - knocked player morale, and even the much heralded return of Steven Gerrard from injury has, statistically, only made things worse.

The club captain has started 10 Premier League games for the reds.  We've won one.

Lucas Leiva has been by far the reds stand out player this season - the reds lost only twice in the 12 matches he started.

Fortunately, the reds have already sealed a return to European football thanks to our first trophy in 6 years.  So now what for the remaining league campaign.

There will be people who suggest that the reds should stick with their current first teamers, hope they turn it around, and put on some dazzling displays in the last 7 games.

The history of the last few games suggest that it is unlikely that Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll will instantaneously turn around their poor goalscoring records.  It is highly unlikely that Stewart Downing will develop the ability to beat a player or run down the wing with any pace.  Steven Gerrard looks a shadow of his former self - turning up for the Merseyside derby but struggling for the rest of the time - possibly as a result of two years of sustained injuries.  Craig Bellamy appears to have been in a stinker of a mood since Liverpool defeated his boyhood club Cardiff at Wembley, and Jordan Henderson appears to be struggling to adapt - especially when being played out of position.

The likes of Sterling, Suso, Coady and Eccleston are likely to be less weighed down by the misery of the first teamers performances and deserve their chance to see if they can offer something different.

It's not just those lads either.  The likes of Shelvey, Flanagan and Robinson also fit in to the category of players who have seen some first team football but deserve more.

If we are going to suffer the misery of a £35M striker falling over his feet in front of an open goal - then really - what have we got to lose by giving some of our promising, and cheaper, youngsters a chance to impress.

If the reds do not bring in some of our youngsters - what signal are they sending to the Academy?  That even when the first team are playing like a bunch of no-hopers - you still won't get your chance.  Surely there is nothing that would give a young LFC player more drive and determination than to see some of his peers making the natural progression in to the first team?

Liverpool fans can rightly feel let down by several of our big name and big money players this year.  The Anfield crowd will need a new focus when Aston Villa ride in to town on Saturday.  With 6 defeats in the last 7 games, the reds have little to lose by giving youth and determination a chance, and plenty to gain.

15 comments on
Time for Liverpool to give promising youngsters a chance

  1. We blooded youngsters by the dozen in 92/93 or a fair few anyway IIRR;  Then? As now the first team was playing execrably badly & what happened? SOME of the youngsters – Notably Mcmanaman & Rob Jones flourished as did Fowler the next season but the sheer PRESSURE on them to perform & the barracking both they & The BADLY misfiring first team got in those years from our crowd? Contributed to a couple of truly terrible & completely awful league seasons with miserable finishes & the players maybe ‘burnt out’ early as certainly Fowler & Jones suffered & BADLY from injuries a few years later – maybe those All BEGAN Then?

    Well let’s just say We ALL remember Roy Hodgson playing the youngsters en masse LAST season for a little while then blaming HIS shortcomings on them & bombing them out of the team & sometimes the CLUB en masse;  THAT went down well with their confidence no? I think not……..Some warnings from history in short – Let the first team who got us IN This mess sort it out – After? THEN blood & get ‘melded’ into the side ASAP as MANY youngsters as possible to give us decent backup & prevent such a disgraceful collapse happening again – But throw them in NOW? And we WILL be throwing them to the wolves – 1 or 2 maybe at the right times but MASS numbers? Forget it…………..

    • Can’t agree with the statement about the class of 92/93 burning out through injury. Fowler did his cruciate against Everton through a poor challenge from their keeper Thomas Mhyre. This could have happened if Fowler had been 35.

      I take the point about not letting the youngsters get slaughtered if we continue to perform badly, however, if the senior pro’s have anything about them then having young players knocking on the door of the first team should make them work harder to hold down their places. If I was a young winger in the Liverpool side I’d be telling Stuart Downing that his place was mine. some of these overpriced, overpaid, overpampered senior players need a kick up the arse. If that means blooding some youngsters, so be it.  

  2. These youngsters deserve a chance to play in the first team but I don’t think they should start a game, but introduced sometime during the game…two at a time: Sterling and Suso; Suso and Coady; Sterling and Morgan….etc

  3. Pace, pace and more pace please! It’s pace that puts fear into the opposition and we currently have none of it, if the kids have it then they must be given a chance.

    The current team is full off expensive flop signings so we can’t possibly get any worse. Get rid off Kuyt who i have never been a fan off together with all the other journeymen! Time for another clearout hopefully leading to the signing off better quality players.

    With hope in your heart and all that!!

  4. I don’t think we need to worry about whether Kenny will give the younger players a run in the team. He’s shown since he came back to the club that he’s willing to give them a go. Kelly and Spearing have featured heavily and Flannagan, Robinson and now Sterling have all been given a run out and performed well when called upon. We must also remember that each of Liverpool’s best home grown players (Fowler, McManaman, Gerrard, Carragher and Owen) were all tempted to the club and nurtured in their early years during Kenny’s first stint in charge. I loved Rafa, however, he was more reluctant than Kenny has been to pick the younger players, particulalry for league games.

    Obviously we’re keen to see the young lads in the side becuase we feel the senior players aren’t good enough. I don’t necessarily think that’s the case, though I do think the boss (and his coaching staff) could have deployed who we have in a more productive way. Carroll never was and never will be a prolific goalscorer and I don’t think it’s fair to expect him to be. He’s a 1 in 3 man for me. In 60 games over the course of a season in all comps he should be netting around 20. I feel if we were to deploy Carroll as the target man in a 4-3-3 then we have several options regarding those that could play off him. We could deploy Suarez and Bellamy either side, we could deploy Maxi up alongside, Downing, Sterling or dare I say Joe Cole. Remember, Joe Cole’s best years were alongside Drogba in a 4-3-3 at Chelsea.

    Playing with 3 forwards would increase our numbers in the opposition penalty box and would require Carroll to drop back less often (he struggles to get back into the box when dropping deep). Essentially, carroll would be deployed as the ‘battering ram’ to bring others into play and the furthest man forward to get on the end of balls played in from wide areas. Though not as good, he could do for us what Drogba has done for Chelsea for so long. Lucas, Adam and Gerrard could sit in the middle. Lucas as the anchor, Gerrard as the man to burst into the box (a la Lampard) and Adam as the man who could hit Carrol with long back to front passes. I know some may think I’m mad at putting Adam in, however, he did great last year at Blackpool in a 4-3-3 where is main job was to launch quick atacks with his long range passing. Food for thought? 

  5. It would be nice to see the club offer the chance to the young ones to have a chance to play in the last few games of the premier league, our first team are definitely lacking something whether its motivation or confidence I don’t know but the way things are at the moment I don’t think we have much to lose by playing the youngsters and you never know they might bring back the passion and hunger a lot of our first team are missing.

  6. Time to rebuild ageing stars cant perform game in game out. Our dip into the transfer market has been awfull. Best to rotate young guys in on a gradual basis. like sterling suso,coates and shelvey. this season  is done now. We are in freefall now, but if we can get into the fa cup final then it wont be so bad. 

  7. We need a big mobile centre-forward?, like Michael Ngoo!!!. A physically strong, quick player with a great touch. This lad has progressed very well in the academy, he is twice the player Carroll is. Along with Suso, Ibe, Morgan, Sterling, Silva etc they must be given a chance.

    I think they would do much more in a red shirt than some of the players in the first team now?, we know it’s risky but at least they play without fear and have massive enthusiasm for football. That surely is a good enough reason to let them play?????

  8. I’d love to agree. We’d all love to see more youngsters being given a chance. However when a team is playing badly it’s totally unfair to blood young players. At present almost all 11 players are below par. In the past when players like Fowler and Owen were first introduced the team was playing well and this helped them play without any pressure and enjoy the experience. I’m not sure any of our young players are quite ready for the first team. They do need chances and I’d be happy to see them come on with 25 minutes to go with the game won but when was the last time we were in that position.

    • errr? 20 minutes to go and the game won? What games have you been watching? All you rpost says is , in reality , continue with the lack-lustre team!

      • I’m sure he said 

        “I’d be happy to see them come on with 25 minutes to go with the game won but when was the last time we were in that position.”Read his comment before posting!

  9. Kuyt past it, Spearing not good enough, Gerrard struggling, Downing poor player, Carragher past it, Flanagan good but not good enough, Carroll slow poor passer limited hold up play uninterested, Suarez great but doesn’t score enough, Henderson uncomfortable on the ball, Adam disappointing failure, Johnson injury prone, Auerillo  constantly injured although I think he’s fit now, Sterling too lightweight although has the talent to make it, Bellamy good but injury prone. Coates think kenny got this one wrong too very slow, Shelvey good but dont think hes good enough, Maxi past it has been good for us.

    That is my harsh but honest assessment of the current squad. 

    Reina, Gerrard,Suarez, Kelly, Johnson, Agger, Skertel, Enrique, Lucas, Sterling & Bellamy are the players we must look forward with. The rest is deadwood. 

  10. Spot on.  Our current first team look like rabbits in the headlights.  They consistently do start games well but if they don’t get a goal within 20 minutes they are consumed by fear and start heading backwards.

    Give these kids a go to run at opposition defences and make a name for themselves.

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