'We believe in this new generation of LFC players'
There is complete faith in the 'new generation' of young players who may get another chance to stake their claim when Liverpool welcome Exeter City to Anfield this evening, according to Pepijn Lijnders.
The Reds face the League Two side in an FA Cup third-round replay after the initial meeting ended 2-2 at St James Park on a night when Jürgen Klopp made wholesale changes to his team to help cope with a jammed fixture list.
With no let-up in commitments across four competitions, the manager confirmed at his pre-match press conference that it is likely to be a similar line-up for this return tie.
Lijnders, the club’s first-team development coach, sees such opportunities as critical to the progress of those young players and precisely the reason why many have been brought back from loan spells elsewhere.
“The big advantage of having them here is that they are with our style of play and we can create development plans,” he explained to Liverpoolfc.com.
“We have extra sessions with them to create development for them. We are active in four competitions and you play every competition to win.
“If we thought we couldn’t win with that team then we wouldn’t have played them. That’s very important for people to know because we believe in them. We believe that there’s a new generation of Liverpool players.
“Of course, young players will make mistakes but there’s so much potential for development – reaching boundaries – but that only happens when they feel trust from the staff, Anfield and people around the club. That only happens if they are around the club.
“Players become better with a common game idea and a clear way of playing, so that’s a big advantage. We now have four months to use all these players in four competitions. We will need them and that’s why they are here, not to just make up the numbers.”
Lijnders continued: “They are in and around role models – Hendo here, Lallana there, Roberto Firmino, Ibe there, so for the players like Ojo and Kent, they are coming back and seeing how they use the one-versus-one qualities in the final third.
“Pedro and Brannagan, even though they were already here, can see Hendo being brave stepping out with the ball. They see all these things day-by-day in sessions, with the coaching staff explaining the game. We see it as a big advantage. We create the atmosphere and this is just the start of a new generation.
“If you look to the U18s and who can make a difference and not just players who play but players who disorganise the opponents and players who understand the history and unwritten rules of the club because they were here from six years old.
“Most of them are here from six or seven years old, some might have come later, but most of the U18s and U21s are here from a young age. There are no better players in the world who can represent Liverpool FC.
“But if we don’t create a pathway or game model or don’t trust them as young players and know that there will be mistakes… Anfield should embrace that because that’s what made this club great.
“It’s up to us and everyone to create a more certain organisation and stability in our game to make these processes go through.”