That’s quite disappointing, isn’t that quite a strong team we put out?
Only seen the high lights but 2 very questionable penalty decisions there IMO. Hope the full match will become available .
Question for @Sweeting and others with some knowledge of the youth team, what are your thoughts on Jarrell Quansah? I don’t see as much as I’d like of the youth sides but from what I’ve seen and read he seems fast, good on the ball, physically solid, tall/good in the air, bit of a brain in his head. Basically everything i thought we’d want in a CB and I’ve half been expecting him to start being involved maybe on bench etc. for senior side but he doesn’t even seem to start at CB for the youth sides? Seems below Billy the Kidd, Nat Phillips, Rhys Williams etc. who all seem to have either limitations or mistakes in them. Does anyone think Quansah has a chance of a future here?
Sweeting would know more but from what I know. 6,5 in height. Just back from injury which slowed him down. I always thought he was better than Billy, but Billy had just gotten his foot in that little bit earlier which helped his profile in comparison to Jarrell. Plays similar to Koutmetio but I think what separates them is mentally. Not as much mistakes in Jarell. I think Jarell has a higher level at the minute BUT if Billy sorts his footballing head out, Billy will have a higher ceiling, but that has stalled over the last year or two compared to Jarell. Don’t think he will make it here or Billy but maybe a championship player at best? Which is a success story anyways.
Bajectic is my favourite though, think he will be the best out of the the lot of the defenders. Only think is his height. Seems to be tall enough but not quite 6,2+ which is a requirement basically in the English game.Could be a good defensive midfielder though.
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Liverpool U23s take part in this years Interfit Senior Cup ran by the Lancashire FA.
Tournament starts at the quarter finals and Liverpool will take on Preston North End on the 8th of March.
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Other QF tie consists of Bolton VS Burnley.
Fixtures already concluded see Accrington head into the semis after beating Wigan.
Everton were beaten by Blackpool.
Sides are listed as ‘firsts’ but pretty obvious it won’t be first teams - should be some good fun.
Loan for Liverpool’s New York born Matteo Ritaccio as he heads to Charleston Battery. Battery play in the USL. The season runs from March to October.
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Genk could be a tough match for us,i watched them rip Chelsea apart 5-1 and knock them out of the competition,in their last game.
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Expect a few red cards in Madrid.
This is not easy to follow because you never know with which sides they go into this competition. So many differences about what are their leagues and levels like.
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Musialowski and Bajcetic out for another month or two so won’t be fit for it.
I watched (rather accidentally) Atletico against some Croatian (?) club, they aren’t like the Simone squad.
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Yeah, Hajduk v Atletico was fun, there were 8700 people in Hajduk’s stadium to support the kids. Went to penalties in the end.
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Liverpool U18’s V Wolves u18’s,
Davies, Miles, Scanlon, Jonas, Chambers, Mabaya, Frauendorf, Pilling, Cannonier, McConnell, Clark,
Subs,
Roberts, Hewitson, Lucky, Davidson.
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Cannonier 1-0, assist Frauendorf.
Edit 1-1.
Edit Jonas 2-1.
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Oakley Cannonier’s 27th goal of the season and a second-half winner from Lee Jonas saw Liverpool U18s clinch a 2-1 league victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In a well-contested game at the Academy, driving rain made things difficult in the opening 45 minutes but the Reds took command in the second period and could have won by a greater margin.
The first-half goals from both teams owed much to mistakes in defence, for all that they were clinically dispatched.
It was Liverpool who offered the first goal threat on 11 minutes. Melkamu Frauendorf played a clever pass to Isaac Mabaya and his right-footed effort was only parried by goalkeeper James Storer. Cannonier was there in a flash but turned the rebound just wide.
Wolves responded within a minute and really should have taken the lead. A good pass put Tyler Roberts clean in on goal but Harvey Davies stuck out a fine hand to deny his hit.
The first of the defensive errors came on 16 minutes and it gave the Reds an advantage.
A centre-back got under a clearing header and Cannonier snuck in behind to take a perfect first touch and finish off the inside of the post in typically nonchalant fashion.
But the visitors soon restored parity as Mabaya lost the ball on the edge of his own box, allowing Wolves striker Nathan Fraser to fire a low drive past Davies and into the corner with 24 minutes gone.
Liverpool were enjoying the better of the possession and working hard off it. That almost paid dividends just after the half-hour mark; Bobby Clark pounced on a defender trying to play out in his own box. The 17-year-old appeared to pinch the ball before being brought down inside the area – but the referee waved play on.
With 10 minutes left in the half, the Reds almost turned defence into a perfect attack.
James McConnell won a great tackle inside the Wolves half that allowed Clark to bear down on goal, but Storer was out well to save when the Liverpool youngster could possibly have squared to teammates for a tap-in.
The rain eased in the second period and it allowed the hosts to take a greater grip on the contest.
Callum Scanlon was causing problems down the left side and offering some good deliveries into the box, while Wolves were struggling to escape from the high press.
That pressing from Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s side created a good chance on 52 minutes, the Reds winning the ball high, but Frauendorf’s curling effort was pushed away by Storer.
Wolves almost repeated their first goal a few minutes later, again Mabaya hounded off the ball and Fraser striking at goal. This time, however, it was straight at Davies, who made a regulation save.
The winner arrived on the hour mark and owed much to a good piece of refereeing.
A Liverpool corner led to Luke Chambers sending a high, hanging ball into the box. Storer spilled it under pressure and Jonas turned it home, with the referee ruling the goalkeeper had been impeded by reaching over his own player rather than suffering a foul.
The Reds had control now and created some fine chances without stretching their lead.
Clark played in Cannonier, whose goalbound shot was blocked by a defender in the last action for the striker before being replaced by Iwan Roberts.
Substitute Roberts almost made an immediate impact with 20 minutes left, just unable to reach a great ball across goal from Clark after fine work from Scanlon.
Fil Mabete and Kam Kandola almost sliced clearances into their own net for the visitors as Liverpool cranked up the pressure, and McConnell was denied by Storer after a poor pass from defence found only Clark.
A lovely give-and-go between Mabaya and Frauendorf created an opportunity for Roberts, though once more Storer saved well, before the ’keeper clawed away a McConnell cross that looked destined for the top corner.
With a third goal not materialising for the Reds, there was always the chance of a sucker-punch and it almost came in injury time.
A corner from the Wolves left was met by Roberts but his powerful header was straight at Davies, who held it well to maintain a well-deserved win for Bridge-Wilkinson’s team.
Liverpool U18s: Davies, Miles, Scanlon, Jonas, Chambers, Mabaya, McConnell, Pilling, Frauendorf, Clark, Cannonier (Roberts, 66).
Unused substitutes: Hewitson, Lucky, Davidson, Figueroa.
Rhys Williams’ stoppage-time goal earns draw for U23s
Rhys Williams scored a stoppage-time equaliser to rescue a 1-1 draw for Liverpool U23s against Blackburn Rovers.
The centre-back headed in an excellent delivery from Tyler Morton in the 93rd minute of Sunday’s Premier League 2 match at the Academy.
Barry Lewtas’ side fell behind on the stroke of half-time through a Tom Clayton own goal but fought back amid awful weather conditions in Kirkby to earn a deserved point.
During a first half that was twice halted temporarily due to the torrential rain, Jack Bearne saw an effort saved well by Antonis Stergiakis and Morton was thwarted by a block by George Pratt.
However, the visitors went in ahead at the break when Clayton inadvertently got the final touch following a Rovers corner.
The young Reds cranked up the pressure throughout the second half, with Leighton Clarkson twice going close and Fidel O’Rourke forcing Stergiakis into a fine stop.
And they were rewarded late on when, after Rovers had half-cleared a corner, Morton crossed and Williams nodded home.
Liverpool U23s: Pitaluga, Bradley, Williams, Koumetio, Norris, Clayton (Corness, 84), Clarkson, Morton, Bearne (Quansah, 77), Balagizi (O’Rourke, 62), Woltman.
Unused subs: Kelly, Wilson…
Liverpool U23s returned to winning ways in Premier League 2 on Friday night with an emphatic 4-1 victory away at Arsenal.
Barry Lewtas’ side were full value for their result at Boreham Wood FC against a Gunners outfit that finished with 10 men.
The young Reds suffered an early blow when Tyler Morton picked up a knock and was forced to leave the field after just 19 minutes.
Jack Bearne claimed the opening goal just before half-time, his effort taking a big deflection off Miguel Azeez on its way into the net.
Leighton Clarkson then set up Billy Koumetio to make it 2-0 on 51 minutes, before Marcelo Flores pulled one back for the home team.
Arsenal were then reduced to 10 men when Salah-Eddine Oulad M’Hand was sent off.
Northern Ireland international Conor Bradley restored the Reds’ two-goal cushion when he fired home to make it 3-1 on 72 minutes following some great work from Bearne.
And Max Woltman added a fourth goal for Liverpool in stoppage time.
Reflecting on the victory, U23s boss Lewtas told Liverpoolfc.com: "It was a pleasing night for us and the boys were excellent.
"It was a good game and there was moments in it we had really good control and looked a threat.
"In some moments I thought we could have finished our attacks a little bit better, but in terms of how we managed the game I thought we were excellent.
"We went 1-0 up and they put us under a bit of pressure but I thought we dealt with that really well.
"Billy scored a header to make it 2-0 and when they went down to 10 men we controlled the game after that.
"Billy’s form since Christmas has been at a really good level and he was superb alongside Rhys Williams at the back. Billy was a colossus at the back for us.
“It was a really good performance and I feel at the moment we are in a good spot in terms of how we are playing.”
On the reason for Morton having to leave the field, Lewtas added: "Tyler went in for a real full-blooded kind of 50-50 challenge and he got a dead leg, but quite a heavy dead leg.
"We’ll keep our fingers crossed and hopefully he will be fine.
“Dominic Corness came on and did really well for us. He has missed a lot of football for us this season so it’s good to have him back.”
Liverpool U23s: Pitaluga, Bradley, Norris, Williams, Koumetio, Clarkson, Bearne, Morton (Corness, 19), Woltman, Clayton, O’Rourke (Quansah, 63).
Unused substitutes: Balagizi, Mrozek.