From the bits on Twitter it’s been backs to the wall most of the second half.
Frequently happens in youth games. I’ve seen it as low as 2 before.
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Liverpool U23s began the new Premier League 2 season by drawing 0-0 with Manchester City at the Academy.
Sunday’s evenly matched contest featured fine saves from goalkeepers Liam Hughes and Cieran Slicker as the sides were forced to settle for a point apiece.
An early surge through midfield from Dominic Corness ended with a shot that was well held by City ‘keeper Slicker.
Elijah Dixon-Bonner tested Slicker before superb defending was needed at the other end as Liverpool captain Tom Clayton - who formed an impressive centre-back partnership with Billy Koumetio - intercepted Luke Bolton’s low cross.
Mateusz Musialowsi then produced a weaving run from his central role to take on the City defence before firing wide, and the Polish forward was later thwarted by Slicker after good work from Tyler Morton and Max Woltman.
Reds stopper Hughes made two excellent saves to deny Cole Palmer in the second half as the game ended in stalemate.
Liverpool U23s: Hughes, Gallacher, Clayton, Koumetio, Norris, Corness, Morton, Dixon-Bonner (Stephenson, 90), Woltman, Musialowski (Ritaccio, 80), O’Rourke (Chambers, 87).
Unused substitutes: Kelly.
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Klopp’s not arsed about the U23s, he’d rather have player in first team training than playing in an U23 match.
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Yeah, I remember when he came in he used to think u23s should be used more as a part of a player’s natural progression like in Germany. But given the level of competition, he quickly realised that loans/ first-team training is much better and now our u23s are used more as a tool to let our u18s get a taste of physicality before they step up to first-team/go out on loan
U23 & U18 Premier League Preview - Episode 13: Chelsea
Ahh, the great loan game is already well underway at Stamford Bridge with nine players under the age of twenty-three out the door and many more sure to follow. In fairness these early loans include players such as Billy Gilmour and Conor Gallagher who do have genuine first team prospects.
The trendsetters on using an academy as a money-making venture, Chelsea have made significant profit this summer (with four weeks left in the window). Marc Guehi, fresh off a strong season at Swansea, has left for Crystal Palace while Pierre Ekwah (West Ham), Dynel Simeu and Valentino Livramento (Southampton), Myles Peart-Harris (Brentford) and Lewis Bate (Leeds) have all rejected new contracts and joined Premier League clubs to take up probable first team roles. Each of those will generate profit when their final compensation payments are worked out - currently estimated at between one and five million per player.
All in all it leaves a picture that is tough to work out. Who will be sent out on loan - Chelsea usually have around thirty players at any one time temporarily at other clubs - and who will be kept? Will anyone get a chance to shine? After the promotions of Reece James, Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Callum Hudson-Odoi was viewed as a new start for a youth focused Chelsea, the minutes for new youngsters dropped off a cliff. Are they still interested in following that policy?
| U23 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Karlo Ziger |
| CB | Sam McClelland |
| CB | Xavier Mbuyamba |
| RB | Dujon Sterling |
| LB | Alex Kpakpe |
| CM | Faustino Anjorin |
| CM | Xavier Simons |
| CM | George McEachran |
| RW | Bryan Solhaug Fiabema |
| LW | Thierno Ballo |
| CF | Jude Soonsup-Bell |
| U18 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Ted Curd |
| CB | Alfie Gilchrist |
| CB | Brodi Hughes |
| RB | Derrick Abu |
| LB | Luke Badley-Morgan |
| CM | Charlie Webster |
| CM | Harvey Vale |
| CM | Josh Tobin |
| RW | Silko Thomas |
| LW | Lewis Hall |
| CF | Ronnie Stutter |
Players in Profile - Three to Watch in 2021/2022
Faustino Anjorin
- Position: AM
- Age: 19
- Nationality: English
An England U19 international, “Tino” Anjorin is considered the closest prospect for a first team role in the Chelsea youth system although a bout of Covid has limited his appearances in pre-season. A six foot tall, muscular forward player, Anjorin’s build is not typical for a technically focused player but does help him handle the pressure of adult football. He has an aesthetically pleasing languid style, which can often be mistaken as laziness, but actually anyone who watches closely will see that he simply saves his energy for individual moments where he injects bursts of pace and power. Having scored thirty-five goals in eighty-three youth team appearances, Anjorin is now set to build upon his solitary Premier League appearance - if Tuchel has the interest in using him.
Armando Broja (on loan at Southampton)
- Position: CF
- Age: 19
- Nationality: Albanian
English born Albian international Broja is a typical Chelsea style striker. A big bodied, physically robust player who holds the ball up well and brings others into the attack, he follows the procession of forwards from Chelsea lore for whom goalscoring is of secondary importance. Another one of the seemingly endless loan conveyor belt between Chelsea and Vitesse, Broja scored ten times for the Dutch club and returned to Chelsea in pre-season where he impressed in limited early outings. Eventually he was returned to U23 football and will spend this season on loan at Southampton - much to the chagrin of Chelsea fans. The fact this will be his second full season of top flight football - aged just nineteen - should outline his potential.
Jude Soonsup-Bell
- Position: CF
- Age: 17
- Nationality: English
Centre-forward Jude Soonsup-Bell scored eighteen times in sixteen appearances for the U18s last season, having transitioned to the role from his more natural position as a winger. A skilful and explosive dribbler, the England U17 international was far too good for the U18s league in 2020/21 and has already started training with the first team on a regular basis. He is both footed and possesses a quick football brain, allowing him to make unusual runs to confuse opposition defenders. This season he will likely start in the U23 set up where if he can replicate his form from the U18s, he is sure to be close to getting first team chances. The former Swindon youth team player is unlikely to go on loan and will instead stay to train daily with Chelsea’s first team, allowing him more opportunities to prove to Tuchel that good enough does mean old enough.
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Liverpool did play in a friendly behind closed doors at Anfield yesterday, which floated around yesterday and reported today by @David_Ornstein.
Explains a few notable omissions from the U23s, although last season those training with the 1st team were in and out of the team.
Bradley, Beck, Clarkson, Cain, Gordon are all players this could apply too; all of whom each add a lot to the U23 squad. The team did well yesterday.
Looks unclear what the plan with Woodburn is, he was on the first team bench.
Liverpool 4-1 Villa.
Gordon
Origi
N Williams
Jones
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Announced there. Sent out until end of season
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Elliot got plenty of chances there last season. Hope he can fight his way into the Blackburn team and come back with a good few minutes under his belt.
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Will probably watch the odd Blackburn game on Sky now Clarkson is there, always a player I’ve enjoyed see play.
Might be getting ahead of myself but everything I’ve seen from Gordon suggests he’s going to be a first team player sooner rather than later. Provided all goes well and he gets a bit of luck I don’t think it’s terribly unlikely he’s making some first team squads for league/CL games next season.
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Also given chances to young centre half’s like Everton’s fella and the Man City defender. Seem to be a great club for youngsters to go to. Will be a good learning experience for Clarkson
U23 & U18 Premier League Preview - Episode 14: Southampton
Wow. What a mess. Having produced the likes of Theo Walcott, Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana, Gareth Bale, James Ward-Prowse and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in recent years, the Southampton academy was proclaimed as a model of consistency and excellence for other English clubs to follow. Things don’t look quite so rosy now.
A flow of young players directly into the first team became an expected part of life on the South Coast. Fast forward to the modern day and Southampton have just finished a season with only two players under twenty-three years old playing over one thousand minutes - neither of them were graduates of the academy. Both the U23 and U18 teams finished rock-bottom of their divisions.
There was some good news. Nathan Tella, signed from Arsenal’s academy in 2019, has developed into a first team player while Michael Obafemi has returned from injury and should be ready to get serious minutes again in 2022.
Players in Profile - Three to Watch in 2021/2022
Valentino Livramento
- Position: RB
- Age: 19
- Nationality: English
New signing Livramento is an England U20 right back, joining from Chelsea on a five year deal. The London-born youngster has been a leading light in Chelsea’s youth system for a number of years but found his route to the first team blocked - especially since Reece James’ first team promotion - and has taken the same decision as Tariq Lamptey in leaving Stamford Bridge for the South Coast. Costing just five million pounds, Livramento has the potential to be the bargain of the summer. At Chelsea the eighteen year old had played all over the pitch, excelling at right back and on the right wing mostly. He is quick, strong and technically excellent - consistently playing above his age group at international level which is notoriously difficult to do. Yan Valery looks set to leave St Mary’s and Kyle Walker-Peters may be flexed across to left back due to a lack of options there following club captain Ryan Bertrand’s release (Moussa Djenepo has started at left back in pre-season). There is every chance Livramento could be a regular for the Saints this season.
Ramello Mitchell
- Position: LW
- Age: 18
- Nationality: English
Brought in from Birmingham City in 2019, Mitchell is a versatile attacker with a powerful direct running style and tricky feet. He has been outlined for stardom by the club since his arrival, although his production at U18 level - three goals and two assists in twenty-three appearances - was somewhat underwhelming. While end product is an issue for Mitchell, his positive and progressive play style is certainly unsettling for opposition defences and Southampton will hope he can turn raw talent into on field results soon. If he manages to add it to his game he does have the potential to follow in the footsteps of Nathan Tella and Michael Obafemi.
Caleb Watts
- Position: CM
- Age: 19
- Nationality: Australian
Currently playing for Australia in the Olympic Games, Caleb Watts had a mini-breakthrough for Southampton in 2021 making three appearances in the league and one in the FA Cup. Watts is a diminutive midfielder with quick feet and an interesting playing style marking him out as something a little different in the central midfield position. Wearing his socks around his ankles, Watts does not lack confidence and can often be seen bursting into the opposition penalty area, creating chances for his teammates through his movement and cuteness in possession. Although he doesn’t have great defensive capabilities, the former QPR player is likely to make significant inroads on a depleted Southampton squad this season and will be one of the more interesting talents to keep an eye on.
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U23 & U18 Premier League Preview - Episode 15: Crystal Palace
Palace are undergoing a youth revolution at first team level with thirteen players such as Gary Cahill, Mamadou Sakho, Patrick van Aanholt and Scott Dann allowed to walk away at the expiration of their contracts. In their place have arrived exciting talents in the form of Michael Olise, Marc Guehi and Joachim Anderson. In addition the talented Conor Gallagher has arrived on a season long loan. Palace already had some youth talent, like Tyrick Mitchell and Eberechi Eze, so the future looks increasingly bright for the Eagles.
There is still room for more prospects in the first team and Crystal Palace have an exciting group of talents emerging. The U18 team finished in a creditable second position, beating out the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham, largely through the goals of eighteen year old David Omilabu while the U23 side has shone in preseason with Scott Banks and Rob Street impressing.
Unfortunately Nathan Ferguson, brought in from West Brom in 2020, has suffered another injury setback and may well miss his second full season since signing for Palace. The defender was in line to be the starting right back this season.
| U23 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Oliver Webber |
| CB | Jay Rich-Baghuelou |
| CB | Jake O’Brien |
| RB | David Boateng |
| LB | Reece Hannam |
| CM | Malachi Boateng |
| CM | James Taylor |
| CM | Nya Kirby |
| RW | Jesurun Rak-Sakyi |
| LW | David Omilabu |
| CF | Robert Street |
| U18 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Joe Whitworth |
| CB | Joe Sheridan |
| CB | Ryan Bartley |
| RB | Cameron Lewis-Brown |
| LB | Omotayo Adaramola |
| CM | Jack Wells-Morrison |
| CM | Jadan Raymond |
| CM | Kayden Rodney |
| RW | Maliq Cadogan |
| LW | Fionn Mooney |
| CF | Victor Akinwale |
Players in Profile - Three to Watch in 2021/2022
Scott Banks
- Position: AM
- Age: 19
- Nationality: Scottish
Signed from Dundee United in January 2020, Banks has spent time at Alloa and Dunfermline on loan before returning for preseason this year and making a good impact on the squad. Banks grabbed two goals in back-to-back friendlies, including a Ronaldo-esque free kick. New manager Patrick Vieria is said to be considering giving Banks a more permanent squad role but another loan spell is also possible. The Scotland U21 international is a classic attacking midfielder with good vision and technique that are enhanced when he plays around better and more technical players. If he stays at Crystal Palace for the season, it is possible he could take advantage of Eze’s injury in the hunt for minutes.
Jesuran Rak-Sakyi
- Position: LW
- Age: 18
- Nationality: English
Rak-Sakyi is considered the next big prospect to come out of the Crystal Palace youth system. Having left Chelsea at sixteen, Rak-Sakyi linked up with Crystal Palace and has become a leading light almost immediately. After an impressive U18 career - nine goals and eight assists in eighteen appearances - he progressed into the U23 set up and appeared on the substitutes bench for Palace’s first team last season. It’s a bit of a cliche to compare a winger coming through at Palace to Wilfreid Zaha but it is obvious with Rak-Sakyi that the Palace talisman has had some influence on his game - the two players even have a similar running style. Rak-Sakyi is the top talent at the Palace academy and word from the camp is that he will be allowed a chance to prove himself in the first team this year.
Malachi Boateng
- Position: DM
- Age: 19
- Nationality: English
Boateng was name-checked last season as one prospect very close to making a breakthrough at Palace in the near future. In pre-season he started in the defensive midfield role next to the experienced Cheikhou Kouyate and looked the more composed of the two. The U23 player of the season is a tough-tackling, simple passing type of a player and a very solid prospect. Having had no loan spells to date - and a relatively short youth career of just twenty-four U23 appearances - it is hard to gauge the relative talent level of Boateng but with the youth revolution at Selhurst Park, and Nya Kirby - once considered the leading talent - failing to impress, he may soon get an opportunity to prove it.
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I have a soft spot for Palace. They’ve brought through a number of young talented players over the years. It would be great to see them do that again.
U23 & U18 Premier League Preview - Episode 16: Reading
The Royals can boast a very productive academy in recent years with two graduates heading out the door this summer in clear upgrading moves. Michael Olise, probably the best player in the Championship last season, has signed for Crystal Palace and Omar Richards, a dynamic full back, has moved on a free to Bayern Munich.
Olise and Richards are both signs of Reading’s progress and their existing issues. The sale of this pair should have fetched tens of millions for the Berkshire club but Richards was allowed to run his contract down while Michael Olise left for a paltry eight million. Exciting youngster Thierry Nevers was also allowed to leave for next to nothing. Reading can be doing more to maximise their profits on these talents, or even better hold onto them.
On the plus side, Reading are one of the best for player pathways with plenty of minutes on offer for U23 players and there are several players ready to take advantage of that.
| U23 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Position | |
| GK | Coniah Boyce-Clarke |
| CB | Nelson Abbey |
| CB | Michael Strickland |
| RB | Tyrell Ashcroft |
| LB | Imari Samuels |
| CM | Kian Leavy |
| CM | Malachi Talent-Aryeetey |
| CM | Dejan Tetek |
| RW | Mamadi Camara |
| LW | Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan |
| CF | Nehum Melvin-Lambert |
| U18 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Position | |
| GK | Bastian Smith |
| CB | Kelvin Abrefa |
| CB | Louie Holzman |
| RB | Sam Paul |
| LB | Jordan Addo-Antoine |
| CM | Benjamin Purcell |
| CM | Hamid Abdul-Salam |
| CM | Jacob Borgnis |
| RW | Ashton Greaver |
| LW | Harvey Maunder |
| CF | Jahmari Clarke |
Players in Profile - Three to Watch in 2021/2022
Ethan Bristow
- Position: LB
- Age: 19
- Nationality: English
Reading have a huge hole at left back with Omari Samuels heading to Bayern Munich on a free transfer. Currently it looks like the man to fill that role is Ethan Bristow, with the nineteen year old having made inroads on the first team during pre-season. Having only started one FA Cup tie in his career so far, Bristow is inexperienced but has shown flashes of his potential and was one of the stand out players for the U23s in his first season at that level. He appears to be slightly ahead of fellow academy full back Imari Samuels as it stands although Reading could be set for a long time (or a big pay day) with both players having the potential to entrench themselves in the first team set up. Bristow is a prototypical modern full back with the pace and energy to get up and down the left flank.
Dejan Tetek
- Position: CM
- Age: 18
- Nationality: Serbian
An English born Serbian U21 international, Dejan Tetek is already well entrenched as a first team player at the Madejski despite being only eighteen years old. He made seven appearances last season and, now entering the season as the primary backup for the centre midfield position, looks set to be earning significantly more game time in 2021/22. Arsenal were credited with an interest in the midfielder last January and Tetek - although he is a different type of player - could help cautorise the pain of losing Michael Olise by emerging as another homegrown youth midfielder. Tetek is a hard-working, left-footed midfielder with a good engine and excellent passing range. He is also helped by Reading being placed under a transfer embargo meaning added competition is unlikely to be coming in.
Femi Azeez
- Position: CF
- Age: 20
- Nationality: English
Azeez was picked up from non-league football in 2019 having joined Wealdstone and in 2020 he made easy work of his first full season at U23 level, scoring ten goals in twelve starts. He scored five goals in his final three games to round off a breakthrough campaign for the former part-timer. This season he has already started well, scoring his first goal for the first team against Preston North End. At youth level Azeez has played centre forward but he is versatile enough to play out wide which makes his path for regular first team football more feasible. Still under a transfer embargo, Reading are set for a season of leaning on their own youth products and a pacey goalscorer is sure to be heavily used.
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Sepp Van de berg scored a cracking own goal tonight for PNE 
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