3 weeks ago
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Photo by Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Liverpool’s young guns came from behind to hit a late equalizer against Manchester United.
The youth system isn’t generally that interested in the results of individual matches; progress for players is measured in other ways. For example, are the forwards learning to identify the ways to create and then fill space when off the ball? Are defenders able to better anticipate passes? And are midfielders growing in their ability to read and manage the flow of a game?
All of these pieces in the different phases of the game can be assessed exclusive of whether the team manages to dispatch of a specific opponent. What matters, generally, are if the lads are growing in their understanding of the game and sharper in their execution. It is interesting, though, how certain matches that carry specific import - like a derby - can carry different weight.
On Saturday, Liverpool’s U18s faced off against Manchester United in league play. And while Marc Bridge-Wilkinson will have likely stressed not getting sucked into the drama of it all, I sense that it would not be a surprise if any of the players on that pitch would have, in a moment of candor, admitted to feeling a slight depth of meaning on this match.
And so while the overall result of the match - a 2-2 draw - may feel rather ho-hum, the narrative within the match itself should give Bridge-Wilkinson and the rest of the U18s quite a lot to be positive about.
Firstly, the result was a hard-earned comeback, with the Reds falling behind to United by two goals inside of 30 minutes. A lot of club players, senior-level not excluded, might start to drop their shoulders. Not the Reds.
The lads clawed a goal back at the 43rd minute, breathing some optimism into the squad before the break. Then they just kept working until notching the equalizer in the 89th minute.
Fans of the club have gotten to see how the Academy youth have managed to look quite composed when introduced into Liverpool’s senior team, with a high point being the domestic cup run that ended with a League Cup win thanks in large part to the work of youth players at key points in the campaign.
And while I won’t put too much stock in one result, I do think it’s great to see that the youth have also managed to emulate the senior team in their tenacity and mental strength. Locking in and just managing to keep working after going down early is, like any other skill on the pitch, something that can be practiced and sharpened. And it’s one that will pay dividends not only as they march up the ranks of professional football, but also as they encounter difficulties and setbacks in life.
Nice to see, then, that this set of youth look to be alright.
