LIVERPOOL MANAGER Jurgen Klopp admits his team โwould have been lostโ without the academy players who stepped up to fill in after his squad was decimated with injuries.
At one stage the Reds boss had 10 senior players out, including the likes of long-term absentees Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez, and had no option but to dip into the wider squad.
He has not been let down as results have not suffered massively with Liverpool level on points with Tottenham at the top of the Premier League having already qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League with a match to spare.
Last week two of his teenagers Neco Williams and Curtis Jones combined for the only goal against Ajax which guaranteed them top spot in their group, while 22-year-old Caoimhin Kelleher has kept clean sheets in back-to-back matches โ his European and Premier League debuts.
Many of Liverpoolโs youngsters may get a chance to impress in their own right for the dead rubber against Midtjylland in Denmark on Wednesday as although the club could secure their record group stage points tally of 15, there is nothing else riding on the result.
We clearly had some problems injury-wise, we lost top-class players to injuries and of course itโs one door closes and another opens up,โ Klopp said.
โYou still need the right kids, the right players to use the chance.
โWithout them we would have been lost, to be honest. Thank God it worked out.
โAll the boys did it and you can go through them: what Rhys Williams did in the Champions League is exceptional, what Nat (Phillips) did when he played in the Premier League was absolutely exceptional, Neco played two really good games in a row, especially the last one.
โCurtis plays like heโs played 10 years for us. Caoimhin was always a talent and now he has the chance to show that on the big stage, to use that opportunity is nice for him.
โThe biggest part is obviously is that they are really ready for this. They are the biggest reason for it.โ
Klopp will have none of the players currently injured โ Xherdan Shaqiri, Alisson Becker, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Thiago Alcantara, Van Dijk and Gomez โ available for Wednesdayโs game but striker Divock Origi is expected to start having been left out of Sundayโs matchday squad.
โDivock is not injured but we donโt have a lot of players and our offensive options are better than other areas and so I cannot just break up three strikers,โ he said.
โHe is in a good shape but not in the squad for the Premier League last time.โ
The manager also has a decision to make over his goalkeeper as Kelleher has proved to be an able deputy for Alisson.
๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐๐ฉ๐! ๐คฉ๐ฅ
โ Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 5, 2020
Brilliant, Caoimhin ๐ pic.twitter.com/OM9Sdagp0Q
With his first-choice goalkeeper still not ready to return from a hamstring problem, Klopp could be forgiven for protecting the Republic of Ireland U21 international and starting his previous established number two Adrian.
However, it seems the Reds boss is keen to keep faith with a player who has performed so confidently having made just six first-team appearances.
โUsually a goalie you donโt have to change that often and nobody told me anything different other than Caoimhin should be ready again, which is a good sign,โ he added.
I be shocked if thatโs the same team playing
Only potential changes are Flynn and Andrews or o Callaghan in. Outside that I think it will be the team. Michael Fitz could be brought in early if full back line under pressure.
Average enough hup the royals
Ah yeah, very average. Only about 40 All Ireland medals between the lot of them!!
That all ?
Yeah. Shockingly low isnโt it? Whatโs the tally for Meath?
Johnny Cooper needs to up his game if heโs to be considered a long-term solution at FB.
Flynner for kev paddy for Mannion and thatโs about as strong as it get for the dubs.
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