Liverpool vs Shrewsbury Town: Key takeaways from the pre-match press conference
Liverpool face Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup fourth-round replay at Anfield on Tuesday. The game will give another opportunity for the young Reds to impress following the humbling they received at Villa Park in December.
Jurgen Klopp confirmed that neither he nor his first-team will be involved in the match owing to the winter break. Under 23-manager Neil Critchley is set to take over as the manager for the day, with the Reds set to put out a youthful side once again.
Critchley has already managed one senior game for the club this season. He famously led out Liverpool’s youngest ever team against Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup quarter-final.
Shrewsbury will provide a lesser test than the Villans. Critchley will hope for a turnaround in the result after the young reds were hammered 5-0 at Villa Park. We take a look at the key takeaways from Liverpool’s pre-match press conference.
Klopp is a man of his word
Jurgen Klopp stirred quite a hornet’s nest with his post-match comments following the 2-2 draw at New Meadow. The Liverpool manager has kept his word, with the Reds naming a youthful squad set to be managed by Under 23 manager Neil Critchley.
There was hope that Liverpool would field some of their fringe first-team players but it doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.
Klopp reserves the judgement to name the squad he believes is best suited for the club. Both he and the first-team will now take a well-deserved rest going into the final stretch of the season.
Liverpool have not written off the FA Cup
If anyone out there feels that Liverpool have written off the FA Cup, they can think twice about it. Nothing of Neil Critchley’s words of demeanour suggests that the Reds will treat it as a glorified friendly.
The Liverpool youngsters put up a decent performance at Villa Park. They have been presented with an opportunity to set the record straight as they take on a comparatively lower level opposition in Shrewsbury.
Shrewsbury should be up for the occasion and the Reds youngsters cannot afford to slack off. Playing in front of a packed Anfield will be a momentous occasion for the players. They will hope to leave an impression on the expectant home crowd.
A stronger team than against Villa
Against Aston Villa, Liverpool put out the youngest team in the club’s history. It was also a weaker team, with the likes of Neco Williams and Curtis Jones playing for us in the World Club Cup.
Both of them should be available this time around and will inject some much-needed quality into the Liverpool side.
New signing Joe Hardy should start up front. He will provide a more potent threat alongside Liam Millar, who returns after experiencing first-team football in the Scottish League.
Hardy has scored thrice for the Under 23s since joining in January and Millar has won eight caps for the Canadian national team. The duo should possess enough quality against our League Two opposition.
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Liverpool are the favourites to win the English Premier League and also have a decent shot at retaining the UEFA Champions League.
A win tomorrow will be the furthest that Liverpool have progressed in the competition under Klopp. If Liverpool win tomorrow, they will be just four wins away from winning the FA Cup in an attempt to do the treble.
