'We're beginning to show more maturity as a group'
Barry Lewtas has highlighted the never-say-die spirit and positive mindset of his Liverpool U23s side after they twice came from behind to beat Brighton & Hove Albion 3-2 in their last Premier League 2 outing.
Owen Beck, who had previously provided two assists from left-back for Joe Hardy and Tony Gallacher, then netted the winner with a fantastic, right-footed finish.
Ahead of the young Reds’ next PL2 clash - a trip to Manchester City tonight, a game you can watch live on LFCTV and LFCTV GO at 7pm BST - we caught up with Lewtas to reflect on his side’s form...
On the thrilling 3-2 win over Brighton…
There were parts of the game I liked and parts of the game I didn’t like. But I must say, as a group we’ve talked about playing through tough moments because there’s been a few times I’ve had to stand here when the game has just gone away from us, and I was really pleased it didn’t go that way. We went a goal down, didn’t let it go to 2-0 and got back into it. Then I was disappointed we conceded again but we came back and won the game. I think as a group we are beginning to show more maturity in those moments.
On the strength of character in his squad, which has been stretched with a number of injuries this season…
It was a good sign for us to see that game out because I don’t think we’ve done that enough this season in tough games. We’ve either won comfortably or not won, and that’s a problem for these lads because obviously the next step is men’s football and where it counts. We can’t just be end-to-end, win or lose - that’s not how the game is played. It’s something we’ve discussed a lot. In the game against West Ham United it was tough for the lads seeing what happened to Layton Stewart with his injury, and I think that did have an effect on the game when we got a draw. But I was pleased we didn’t lose that game. Southampton away was a close game we deserved to win and I thought we finished that little bit stronger against Brighton.
Watch highlights: LFC U23s 3-2 Brighton
On Beck’s stunning winner…
It was a fantastic goal. Owen is doing well and is in a good place at the moment. It’s important he continues to push and keep developing. He picked up a yellow card for a rash tackle and there were little moments in his game one-v-one that he can improve on. But I think there’s signs of real promise with him but there’s plenty of work for us still to do. I thought Owen and Tony Gallacher were a real threat for us in those wide areas. Getting our full-backs high in those attacking positions is what we want to do and they contributed really well for us.
On the contribution of Fidel O’Rourke, who made a real impact off the bench…
I spoke with Fidel before the game because it was really tough to leave him out. Him and Joe were brilliant together at Southampton and I just wanted to try a couple of things and he was the odd one out. But you know what you are going to get from Fidel. He presses ever so well and he’s a willing runner in behind. He was disappointed he didn’t score when he made a fantastic run after a fantastic pass. But you always know what you are going to get from Fidel for the team.
On tonight’s trip to Manchester City…
Always a tough game but one we always look forward to as well. I think it’s two teams who have a real clear identity of how they want to play and it normally makes for a really good game. So it will be a fantastic challenge for both teams and we’ll give it our best.