Critchley eyeing another memorable Anfield night
Anfield is the venue for Liverpool U23s' first home game of 2018-19 on Friday - and Neil Critchley has told his players to go and make it another night to remember in front of the Kop against Tottenham Hotspur.
Following last week's opening-game goalless draw at Brighton and Hove Albion, Critchley's side are seeking their first Premier League 2 win of the new season this time out.
In their final home match of last season, the young Reds produced a superb performance to beat Chelsea 5-1 at Anfield.
And Critchley is hoping his players can rise to the occasion on the big stage once again versus Spurs.
Kick-off on Friday night is at 7pm BST and supporters can still purchase tickets for the game but must do so in advance by 5pm on the day of the game.
Read on for Critchley’s thoughts on playing at Anfield once again, the impressive display of goalkeeper Kamil Grabara at Brighton and an excellent professional debut for Doncaster Rovers loanee Herbie Kane…
On the stalemate at Brighton...
Over the 90 minutes I was really pleased with a lot of aspects of the performance. One thing you are always looking for as a coach is 'are the players trying to implement the things you are asking them to do?', and the things we had spoken about before the game, the lads tried to do that. It just didn’t happen for us in the final third of the field but I thought the attitude we showed, our application and the way we approached the game was very good. I felt we didn’t get what we deserved just about on the night, although Brighton would argue with the chances they created a draw would have been a fair result. We kept a clean sheet but it was disappointing not to pick up all three points.
On Grabara's performance…
The biggest compliment you can pay Kamil is the saves he made I expected him to save them! They were fantastic saves but even had one of them gone in I would have been surprised. When we needed him and when we called on him he made those saves at vital times, and that’s what top goalkeepers do.
On another chance for the youngsters to play at Anfield…
I can’t wait! Playing at Anfield is always something to look forward to and always a special occasion. It whets the appetite. We played Tottenham at Anfield at a similar time of year last season and we gave a really good account of ourselves that night. I think it will be two totally different teams on show this time around, but we are really looking forward to it and hopefully we’ll have a good crowd with it being the school holidays, and we can give them something to shout about on the night.
On his message to his players…
That’s simple. Just to be themselves and make sure we play our way. Make sure the identity of our team, this club, is on the pitch. Embrace it and go and make it a memorable night. You can only do that if you play well and if we play well then we’ve got a chance of picking up the three points.
On what he is expecting from the match...
Both teams like to have the ball and attack and there won’t be one team sitting back and defending. It will be both teams going for it and seeing which one comes out on top. That always makes for an entertaining game and hopefully the ball will be in their half more than it is ours, and we are quite a bit better in the final third than we were last Friday at Brighton.
On Kane earning plaudits from Doncaster boss Grant McCann for his senior bow in League One for his loan club...
Herbie was immense for us in pre-season. He came back with the bit between his teeth, he looked like he had gone on another level and he was ready for the loan move. He fancied the challenge of going to Doncaster, who have started the season really well under a very good manager in Grant McCann who develops young players. Herbie knew he was going into a team with some good midfield players as well so he knew he would have a battle on his hands just to get into the team. That is one thing about Herbie, though, he has belief in himself and he will back himself. I think he was slightly surprised as we were that he got in so quickly, but by all accounts he produced a fantastic performance. The test now for him is to reproduce that and be consistent, which is difficult for a young boy going into the Football League when the games come thick and fast. He played in the EFL Cup this week and had another victory. I will be really intrigued to see how he does between now and January.