Younger Liverpool players won’t break through until they are ready, according to Jurgen Klopp, who has shot down claims that the Europa League will give them more opportunities.
Prior to Leicester City’s League Cup visit to Anfield next week, the Reds manager has also refrained from offering any guarantees to a group of talented teenagers. The Reds defeated Austria 3-1 on Thursday thanks to goals from Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, and Mohamed Salah in the second half of Klopp’s 11-change Europa League debut at LASK. Despite the changes, only 17-year-old Ben Doak could be regarded as a youth prospect; however, Stefan Bajcetic made a comeback and made his 20th senior appearance after missing six months with an adductor injury.
The starting XI at the Raiffeisen Arena was largely an experienced one, with players like Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, and Kostas Tsimikas starting alongside goal scorers Nunez and Diaz, despite the temptation to add a few more from the club’s academy ranks. When asked if the Europa League and League Cup now gave Klopp a chance to break some of the younger players into the team, the Reds manager said it was more important that they be prepared for whenever it should come. “Now we’ll watch.
I completely understand the question, but it is early in the season, so when everyone is healthy, the very young boys won’t likely get much playing time, Klopp said. When you are 17, 18, or 19, it is not a problem, but it is not at this age. Occasionally playing a game is enjoyable. It’s crucial that you play these games when you’re truly prepared for them.
It’s actually there to bring them in when they are truly ready to do it, not to show that they are almost there. At the end of their careers, it makes no difference whether some of them are or are not. If your first game was in September 2023 or September 2024, it doesn’t matter. “Really, it makes no difference, but at the time, it makes a significant difference for some people, but when you look back at the end of your career, it doesn’t.
Being as successful as you can is therefore all that matters, which is obviously crucial. However, it’s important to use the player at the right time. “. Jarell Quansah, who made his full Premier League debut in the 3-1 victory at Wolves last week before succumbing to a bout of cramp in the closing seconds, is one young player that Klopp has given game time to this season. The recent defensive injuries and captain Virgil van Dijk’s suspension have benefited the England Under-20 international, and Klopp has been impressed with how Quansah has risen to the occasion thus far this season. “He is in the right moment at the right club, that is all,” continued Klopp.
He is our son, and he is a wonderful son. He had an outstanding preseason with us and deserved to start the most recent matchup with Wolves. Some people might say that it was a brave decision, but I don’t think it was on our part because after two days of training, Ibou (Konate) was obviously ready or close to ready. “In the past, we’ve had to bring in center halves after only about 30 minutes of practice because the other players weren’t ready.
We did this in more dire circumstances, but because Jarell was present, we didn’t have to, and I really liked that. It’s nice to see him grinning after the game; he has three games under his belt and nine points, so that’s not a bad record. “.
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