Liverpool Youngsters Pass Test Despite FA Cup Stalemate Against West Ham United
Watching his side play out a drab 0-0 draw at home to West Ham United in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday evening, Jurgen Klopp will no doubt have been disappointed with the outcome—but by the same token, the German must be encouraged by the promising displays of his blossoming youngsters.
Making 10 changes to the side that beat Stoke City via penalty shootout in Tuesday night's League Cup semi-final second leg, Klopp named four inexperienced talents in his starting lineup.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
Brad Smith, Kevin Stewart, Cameron Brannagan and Joao Carlos Teixeira have all made their full debuts for the Reds in 2015/16, and joining a side that included peripheral figures such as Steven Caulker and Joe Allen, they continued their development with strong performances over 90 minutes against West Ham in the crisp Anfield air.
The tie will now go to a replay, set to take place at West Ham's Boleyn Ground in the second week of February.
While Klopp will bemoan his side's congested fixture schedule, the performances of Stewart, Brannagan and company suggested he will be able to trust his young stars to seal the victory next time around.
"For me the character of a player is the most important consideration, he must have the will to improve himself," Klopp told the Observer's Paul Wilson (via the Guardian) shortly after his arrival on Merseyside in October. "When I am managing a club I think each young player should smile, because the door is wide open for him."
Detailing his approach to youth development and underlining his faith in young players to perform within a demanding atmosphere, Klopp made reference to one of his managerial success stories:
"I don’t care so much about experience, it can be important but it is not the main thing.
The best players in the world today are around already, you can see them.
What I enjoy more is trying to identify the best players of tomorrow, who has the capacity to improve himself most, to take a young player from a small club in Poland and see what he can turn into.
"
When in charge of Borussia Dortmund in 2010, Klopp plucked a 21-year-old Robert Lewandowski from relative obscurity with Polish side Lech Poznan, and after a season performing out of position in a No. 10 role, the striker quickly began to show his ability.
Lewandowski scored 103 goals in 187 appearances for Dortmund and, now at Bayern Munich, is widely regarded as one of the world's finest centre-forwards.
As Klopp said, the door was open for an underdeveloped Lewandowski to prove himself at Dortmund, and while Liverpool's youngsters are yet to show world-class potential, they performed with enough promise to vindicate Klopp's approach.
Particularly impressive were midfield duo Stewart and Brannagan, deployed alongside captain-for-the-day Joe Allen in a three-man unit, as Klopp opted for a 4-3-3 formation.
Stewart, whose time on the books at Liverpool has taken in loan spells with Cheltenham Town and Burton Albion in League 2 and Swindon Town in League 1, was a surprise inclusion in Klopp's starting lineup against Exeter City in the previous round of the FA Cup.
At 22 years old and showing little sign of breaking into the first team following his move from Tottenham Hotspur in 2014, Stewart seemed destined to play out the remainder of his contract, which was extended last summer, according to the Liverpool Echo, and drop to a lower division.
But making his third appearance for the Reds at Anfield on Saturday night, Stewart performed with a confidence and composure that suggests he could have a long-term future under Klopp.
Bearing a stark resemblance to Sunderland loanee and former Liverpool target Yann M'Vila, Stewart was stationed at the base of Klopp's midfield, tasked with breaking up attacks and moving the ball forward quickly and efficiently.
Stewart won more tackles than any other Liverpool player, with six, as well as completing the most passes of any player on the field, with 57. Boasting a bullish physicality and a nimble technicality, Stewart is arguably unlike any other midfielder in Klopp's ranks at this stage.
Alongside him, Brannagan provided a welcome finesse and creativity in a box-to-box role.
Signing a new long-term contract with the Reds weeks after Klopp's appointment as Liverpool manager, the 19-year-old earned the praise of his esteemed manager with his performances in training.
"For his age he brings everything you need for a midfield player he wants to play football, he's strong, he's clear, he's cool," Klopp told the Liverpool Echo's Joe Rimmer in October. These qualities were on show in a dominant performance against West Ham.
Lining up against a strong Hammers midfield of Cheikhou Kouyate, Pedro Obiang and Alex Song, Brannagan navigated a difficult physical landscape with intelligence, recycling possession efficiently and coming close to putting Liverpool ahead with an excellent long-range effort in the first half.
With his set-piece delivery a marked improvement on that provided by the likes of James Milner and Alberto Moreno, Brannagan highlighted a technical quality that should ensure he has a prominent role on Merseyside in the future.
Complementing these strong midfield performances, both Smith and Teixeira played with confidence and maturity, looking to drive Liverpool forward throughout.
Meanwhile, the introduction of 18-year-old academy star Sheyi Ojo in the 80th minute unleashed another star in the making.
Ojo was recalled from an unsuccessful loan spell with Wolverhampton Wanderers at the beginning of January, having failed to establish himself in Kenny Jackett's first team, but with Klopp showing faith in his ability, the forward has overturned this disappointment.
Minutes after his arrival on the field, having taken the place of Jordon Ibe on the right flank, Ojo played a neat layoff and surged toward the West Ham penalty area with pace.
It is this direct brand of attacking football that will endear Ojo to Klopp, and having shown his remarkable ability with a stunning goal in the previous round at home to Exeter, the former MK Dons youth should enjoy a bright future under the German at Liverpool.
That the effective, uncomplicated performances of Liverpool's young stars contrasted with another abject, lethargic display from £32.5 million man Christian Benteke further justifies Klopp's faith in youth.
As Brendan Rodgers told the Anfield Wrap (h/t BBC Sport) months after taking the role as Liverpool manager in 2012: "A young player will run through a barbed wire fence for you. An older player will look for a hole in the fence."
With this draw adding another fixture to Liverpool's congested schedule, Klopp will no doubt look to starlets such as Stewart, Brannagan and Smith to lighten the load on his first team.
Speaking to reporters, including the Press Association (h/t This Is Anfield) after the game, Klopp expressed his delight at the way in which his youthful team performed:
"I think the most important thing is everyone could see our lineup was not disrespectful to the FA Cup.
It was the other way around. We thought this was the best chance for us to go through.
They have not played together often but this young team did really well.
We had a good structure. We had chances. We should have scored in one of the other situations. At the end it is a draw. Now we play again.
"
With West Ham a marked step up in quality compared to Exeter, that Stewart, Brannagan, Smith, Teixeira and Ojo were all able to perform comfortably is a positive sign for the future.
If this were the latest test of their credentials, Liverpool's academy talent passed confidently—it may not be long before they are given the opportunity to do so in the Premier League.
Statistics via WhoScored.com and Transfermarkt.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
