Since Jurgen Klopp took over as Liverpool manager in October 2015, 29 players have made their Reds debut in the League Cup, with another 13 handed their first starts in the tournament.
From that total, 34 of those players started their Liverpool careers in some shape or form in the club’s academy, while Klopp has called upon the services of a further 10 academy graduates across his 25 League Cup matches to date. Granted, the eight youngsters handed debuts by Neil Critchley against Aston Villa in December 2019, with the first team away on FIFA Club World Cup duty, skewers the figures slightly, but there is no escaping how important the League Cup has been for the Reds’ next generation.
Klopp was at it again on Wednesday night as Liverpool’s League Cup defence got underway against Derby County, handing out debuts to Layton Stewart and Ben Doak while Calvin Ramsay, Stefan Bajcetic, Bobby Clark and Melkamu Frauendorf all made their first starts in Red.
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But with this year’s League Cup third round taking place as late as November, due to the mid-season World Cup and prior midweek slots needed to fulfil domestic league and European competition commitments, the latest opportunities have been a long time coming.
In this unprecedented campaign, Liverpool’s next generation have had to remain patient as a result with training and youth matches offering a limited opening to catch Klopp’s eye. But now, with fans given a first real look at such players in senior surroundings, the cat’s out of the bag regarding the next big talents to look out for.
But while the likes of Ramsay and Clark impressed against the Rams, it was 16-year-old Doak who set tongues wagging most after enjoying a lively debut from the bench, with the summer signing from Celtic earning praise from his manager after the game in the process.
“That’s Ben. His instructions were easy. ‘Do what you do all the time’,” Klopp told reporters. “He’s a really lively boy, a smart player, good dribbler, fast, can use both legs.
“It’s good. It was nice to watch, really nice to watch. Coming in and immediately making an impact. A lot of things are obviously natural to him which is really helpful… Tonight is the next step. It’s cool, he showed up obviously.
“People don’t like it when you get knocked out. It’s like, ‘Very young, you don’t take the competition seriously.’ But that was never true. We have to make sure we don’t risk anybody and we really love to give the ball opportunities.
“Even if we lose the game in the penalty shootout, imagine if the people wouldn’t have seen Stefan, Bobby, Ben, Mel, Layton. Fabio is only a little bit older. Calvin of course and Harvey comes on.
“Eight or nine really young boys and it’s so nice to give them the opportunity to play real man’s football against a team who wanted to get through. To get through, it’s a great experience.”
Assistant manager Pep Lijnders would also share how much he 'loves' the League Cup when speaking at the Reds’ pre-match press conference ahead of facing Derby County, passionately speaking about the opportunities it presents to Liverpool's youngsters. Yet Klopp might have to step away from such a stance when the fourth round takes place next month.
Scheduled for the week commencing Monday, December 19, the Reds face a huge first game back as they travel to Manchester City just days after the World Cup final. As a result, Klopp has hinted he could name a much more experienced side.
“I don’t know (how it will work) but we will find a solution,” he told reporters on Wednesday night. “We have players at the World Cup but we have a big group together for pre-season so we will probably use them then.
“It makes sense I think. When is the draw? Thursday night, then we know where we have to go. We are at a training camp, then we come back and then we have a few days to prepare. It’s fine.
“We love playing football by the way, it’s not a problem. But three days, four days after the World Cup final. If it’s England vs Brazil or the Netherlands or whatever, we will miss a few players probably. Let’s see.”
Jordan Henderson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson Becker, Fabinho and Ibrahima Konate have all been included in their respective nations' squads for the tournament in Qatar this winter, with Virgil van Dijk and Darwin Nunez almost certain to also be called up. Meanwhile, Thiago Alcantara remains in contention after being included in Spain's published provisional squad.
But the likes of Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Andy Robertson, Naby Keita and Joel Matip will form part of a hefty Liverpool squad that will travel to Dubai this winter for a mid-season training camp. Friendlies with AC Milan and Lyon are scheduled to take place, with the League Cup fourth round action as a final warm-up match of sorts before the Premier League resumes on Boxing Day.
The aforementioned youngsters are well-placed to be included in Klopp’s travelling squad for what will essentially be treated as a second pre-season, with it potentially presenting the likes of Doak further opportunity to work closely with the first team and impress the German.
Yet while the fourth round would normally be such youngsters’ next opportunity to pull on the famous Red shirt in competitive action, they will likely have to step aside given its now added senior importance, especially with a trip to the Etihad. However, with the FA Cup third round scheduled for the weekend of Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 January and the League Cup fifth round taking place the week commencing Monday 9 January, further opportunities will swiftly follow, though last season's domestic cup double balancing act would suggest Klopp wouldn't name youthful sides for back-to-back matches.
Of course, a little patience is nothing new for Liverpool’s latest generation, having seen the third round take place in November as opposed to its traditional September slot. But for the Reds, who want to give their youngsters valuable game-time and first team opportunities, it’s just another frustrating knock-on effect from the World Cup taking place mid-season in Qatar in the first place.
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