'We try to replicate the first team at U19 level'
Liverpool U19s host Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday afternoon with manager Barry Lewtas backing his side to respond after the controversial draw against Napoli.
Having thumped Paris Saint-Germain 5-2 in their opening UEFA Youth League encounter, the young Reds conceded a contentious stoppage-time equaliser in Italy.
Despite the obvious frustrations felt last time out, Lewtas is sure his players have put the incident behind them as they aim to impress once again when representing the club in Europe.
Kick-off at the Totally Wicked Stadium in St Helens is at 3pm BST and you can purchase tickets in advance.
- Get your tickets by visiting the ticket office at the Totally Wicked Stadium or online by clicking here.
- LFC season ticket holders and Members can attend the match for free by showing your card on the day.
Read on for Lewtas’ thoughts on the meeting with Red Star and trying to replicate the first team by playing a high-pressing game…
On another European home game for the U19s in St Helens…
We are pleased to have a home game and it’s another good opportunity for the boys against a good team. It’s another good experience for the players and the staff. We have played really well in our opening two games in Europe against Paris Saint-Germain and Napoli. The first game was a good challenge against PSG, who were very good individually but I thought we pressed very well and capitalised by scoring five good goals. In the second game at Napoli we played very well and the boys stuck to the game plan in what was a really tough situation, because the pitch was difficult and they played in a style that was difficult to play against. When you factor all that in and what happened at the end with their stoppage-time equaliser then the lads did very well.
On the aim to bounce back against Red Star…
The boys are excited and looking forward to this game. We said to the boys after the game in Napoli, we know you are disappointed but you didn’t lose the game. Sometimes when you concede a goal like that right at the end it can feel like a loss because of the manner in which it was scored. They have got to show they can bounce back from it and it’s a good opportunity for them to do that. We have had a few weeks to get over what happened in Napoli and we will be ready for that game.
On the high-pressing strategy that has worked so well this season at U18 and U19 level…
We are trying to replicate what our first team do. The boys are working hard in terms of their attitude, what is required physically and also the work they are putting in on the training ground. We are definitely seeing the benefits of it in the league campaign for the U18s so far and the two European games.
On managing this exciting, attack-minded team…
We certainly talk a lot about possession and when we are out of it, the importance to try to win it back quickly and then attack. In a lot of games when we have a large amount of possession our thoughts are to always attack, create chances and try to score goals. We have scored a number of goals so far this season and for us it can be tough because we have seen a lot of teams playing against us trying to stop us scoring. For us to score the amount of goals we have done and also create so many chances in every game is full credit to the boys. It’s a pleasing part of our game so far.
On what he is expecting from Red Star…
It’s a funny one really because we have seen a few of their games, how they play and how they set up, but these teams also know how we play and how we press. Teams know we like to attack so sometimes you can do all the watching you can but we don’t know until the game starts really how they are going to play and try to stop us from playing. In terms of what we have seen so far they look dangerous on the counter-attack and have a threat going forward. They will be physical and they will try to get in around us so it’s another good challenge for the boys. We just need to make sure we do our bit right on the day, do the basics well, impose our style on them and if we can do that and we are at our best then we are always confident of getting a good result.
On a great day of European football and taking the team to Anfield to watch the first team…
It’s a fantastic day. We are looking forward to playing again at St Helens, who have a great set-up. We then get the chance to take all of the boys to Anfield to watch the game and it’s a great experience for them to see what the next level looks like.