Beale wants U23s to follow first team's lead at Arsenal
Liverpool's first team put in a commanding display to win at Arsenal a fortnight ago – and Michael Beale wants his U23s to take inspiration from that performance tonight.
Beale’s side travel to Emirates Stadium seeking to pick up their first points of the season following 4-1 defeats to both Southampton and Chelsea.
The Reds’ senior team got their Premier League campaign off to a flyer in north London earlier this month, with Philippe Coutinho's brace and goals from Adam Lallana and Sadio Mane earning a thrilling 4-3 victory.
And Beale has urged his players to follow the blueprint laid down by Jürgen Klopp’s side and kickstart their campaign at one of English football’s most impressive grounds.
“It’s an amazing stadium and we’ve just seen our first team give us a fantastic example of how to play there,” the U23s boss told Liverpoolfc.com.
“Every one of their players was at 100 per cent with their focus and intensity and again I’ve mentioned to my players that it’s not somewhere you want to leave regretting that you haven’t played at your top level.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity for us. I think they’re a fantastic team that have kicked on from the team that beat us in the Youth Cup last season – there are certainly a few in our team who will want revenge for that.
“If you’re a young player, apart from Anfield, where else would you want to be playing?”
Beale admitted he did not expect his team to endure such a frustrating start to the season.
“I’m surprised, I thought we had a really good pre-season. We played against a number of first teams and showed very well,” he added.
“The first game was a bit of a bolt from the blue. We had 60 per cent possession against Southampton and dominated the ball but not the two penalty areas, and the game against Chelsea was very different.
“We were much more compact and probably had about 35 per cent possession but the same result happened. It’s been tough for the boys.
“We’ve had a chat and we’ve got a great opportunity in front of us on Friday to put some things right.”
Several players have moved up from Liverpool’s U18s to join Beale’s squad at the start of this season and the manager believes the experience of the two recent defeats could stand the youngsters, and the rest of his players, in good stead.
“The boys stepping up from the U18s have seen straight away that there’s a huge jump in terms of level and intensity and they’re finding their feet,” he continued.
“They’ve played against two teams that are very settled in Southampton and Chelsea. We know we’ve got a number of players who aren’t with the group because they’re at Melwood pushing onwards and upwards and that’s pleasing.
“Every time we play we want to do well. You’re not going to win many games if you’re conceding four goals, so we’ve got to keep working and moving forward.
“It’s about making sure as a collective that we improve with each game. The players have got the talent so it’s a case of tinkering with one or two things. I’m sure once they get their first positive result it’ll be onwards and upwards.”
You can watch Liverpool’s U23s take on Arsenal this evening live on LFCTV and LFCTV GO (7pm BST kick-off).
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