Good to see Koumetio overcoming his injury, thankfully it wasn’t anything serious.
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Ojrzynski
Wilson Quansah Koumetio Chambers
Corness Stephenson Balagizi
Woltman Stewart Frauendorf
Wilson Quansah Koumetio Chambers
Corness Stephenson Balagizi
Woltman Stewart Frauendorf
Subs: Davies; Jones, Mabaya, Ennis, Musialowski
I don’t know who Ennis is, before anyone asks, although apparently his full name is Ethan Ennis.
1-0 Man City - Sodje
Looked a clear foul on Quansah as Sodje shoved him in the back as a cross came in but the referee didn’t give it and Sodje was left a simple finish.
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Liverpool the better team in that half. Quite surprising to see City with 11 men behind the ball and 7 in their own box.
Liverpool just look like they have 1 too many midfielders on the pitch and not enough ‘forward’ minded players. I think Balagizi is wasted out on the right, surely you’d want him involved as much as possible.
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2-0 City - Sodje
Koumetio taking way too long in his own box and a poor touch gifts it to Sodje again.
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Not surprised to see Koumetio make that mistake. The thought of him playing in the first team is a scary one to be honest, he’s nowhere near ready.
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I very much doubt Klopp genuinely considers him a first team option - if he did he would have played last night or been in the squad for Lincoln.
For all the plaudits he got on here, twitter and from the coaching staff I am in no doubt that his pre-season performances, where I thought he was actually really poor, did nothing to convince Klopp that he could play for the first team this season.
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3-0 City - Sodje hattrick
Same story all game, Liverpool dominating possession but can’t find anyway through a stubborn City defence and they manage to pinch the ball on the halfway line and break on the two CBs. Unselfish squared pass gives Sodje yet another tap in - probably the easiest three goals he will ever score!
He only returned to training yesterday so wasn’t available for Lincoln.
3-1 Mabaya
Bad back pass by Man City put the keeper in trouble and his weak clearance led to Mabaya having a tap in.
He still could have played last night and didn’t.
Some people are getting carried away with him. He’s an excellent talent but when James Pearce refers to him as “Liverpool’s 5th choice CB” I just don’t see how that has any grounding in reality. He’s played ten games at U18 level (including today) and once for the U23s.
Two years time he may be pushing for the first team but not this season - I expect Sepp van den Berg will the closest to the first team of all the teenagers.
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Full Time
Liverpool 1-3 Man City
Isaac Mabaya got Liverpool’s goal after an impressive cameo from the schoolboy but Tai Sodje’s hattrick (might have been two if the second goes down as a Koumetio own goal) wrapped the game up. Man City were ‘resolute’ shall we say in their tactics - deep defensive line, long balls up to their rapid wingers but cannot complain about it as Liverpool’s young lads need to learn how to play against that if they are to make it here.
Apart from the scoreline I think Liverpool will be fairly happy, they were the more progressive of the two sides and controlled possession but clearly issues around chance creation and individual errors (nothing to be done about that at this level though, it just happens).
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At that age they’re always going to make mistakes, no way should he be near the premier league yet, some do get excited by the kids but in reality R Williams, VDB and Koumetio should all be playing for u23’s. Any news on Phillips is he injured or waiting for move?
It’s because Klopp talks about him. He name checked Billy when listing injuries before Chelsea game, alongside Gomez and Joel. Maybe not doing the lad favors, but if Klopp is happy to talk about him as fourth choice, I guess we should follow suit, even if he would probably play someone else. He made bench for first game as well, didn’t he?
Yeah they gave him a look pre-season, I think largely it was a case of “right place, right time”. He fits the physical profile of a first team player but in his performances I think that showed that mentally and technically he isn’t quite ready. Making the bench for the Community Shield was again just because he was part of the team for pre-season.
I doubt Klopp was so impressed by him that he really sees him as a first team player but equally he won’t say that publically. We’ll see with his squads this season what the reality is though.
It seesm that Liverpool value training with the first team over playing for the U23s as van den Berg doesn’t drop down that often. Will be interesting to see what happens with Rhys Williams, you’d imagine he wants to play football so maybe a better loan spell.
Not sure on Phillips, his moves keep breaking down so I think he’s probably still trying to negotiate something.
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It’s an okay situation for me.
The staff obviously like him, it’s not just games they’re judging him from. They all make mistakes so we also don’t have to blindly trust them. They also don’t know what the kid will become. We don’t have to think he’s the next big thing if Klopp and the rest say a few nice things about him.
He obviously grew a lot, seemed a slow on the turn to me in those friendlies. But I understand if the staff like him as a prospect, being only 17 (soon 18). Not the first time they like a prospect who might never have enough to make it here. We’ll see.
Maybe his inclusion lately is also a little reminder to the likes of Berg, previously Hoever, that there are other kids coming through, earning chances here and there, if they’re not showing enough progress.
I think that Koumetio is rated highly mainly because of his technical qualities, not his size. His passing ability is very nice for a 17 year-old centre back, both short and long. Like Zoran, I also thought he was slow on the turn and especially off the mark, he struck me as being a bit quicker before I saw him in this pre-season. Just like Van Den Berg or almost any other young centre back playing academy football in England, he’ll need time, especially given his injury last season, which may have impacted his movement.
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U23 Premier League Results - Week Three
Arsenal 0-1 Tottenham
Richards
Southampton 2-2 West Ham
N’Lundulu (x2) - Afolayan, Coventry
U18 Premier League Results - Week Three
Chelsea 1-1 Southampton
Kpakpe - Finnigan
Arsenal 3-2 Crystal Palace
Flores (x2), Edwards - Omilabu (x2)
Everton 4-0 Stoke
Whitaker (x2), McAllister, Warrington
Liverpool 1-3 Manchester City
Mabaya - Sodje (x3)
Middlesbrough 4-0 Sunderland
Coburn (x3), Willis
West Ham 1-2 Fulham
Corbett - Harris, Harrack
Brighton 1-1 Tottenham
Offiah - Cassanova
Manchester United 5-1 Burnley
Forson (x2), Fernandez, Hugill, Emeran - Ratchford
Aston Villa 3-1 Reading
Young, Bogarde, Jay-Har - Clarke
Blackburn 2-3 Wolves
Gilsenan, Lonsdale - Tipton (x2), Hodnett
Norwich 4-2 Leicester
Dickson-Peters (x2), Springett, Duffy - Russ, Nelson
Derby 4-3 Newcastle
Cybulski (x2), Borkovic, Aghatise - Gilchrist, Harrison (x2)
U23 & U18 Premier League Latest Transfers
Akin Famewo, 21, CB: Norwich to Charlton - Loan
Viljami Sinisalo, 18, GK: Aston Villa to Ayr United - Loan
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For any sad fucks like me who fancy watching more U23 football today - Sunderland vs Leeds is live on youtube at 1pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMZ941C50Wg
They’re both absolutely terrible so could be great, could be awful.
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