Critchley: That was a tough night for us
Neil Critchley highlighted the concession of a second-minute goal as pivotal in ensuring his Liverpool U23s side endured a tough evening at Leicester City on Monday.
The 4-0 defeat at the King Power Stadium saw the Foxes overtake the Reds at the top of Premier League 2 but, with four games remaining in the division, the race for the title remains very much open.
Critchley once again fielded a young team and, despite the obvious frustration and disappointment a defeat brings, he was heartened by the lessons his players can take away from the experience.
Read on for Critchley’s post-match thoughts...
On conceding a goal in the opening minute of the game…
“It was a tough evening for us. You could see what Leicester are about and they make it very difficult for you. They have got some good players [who are] physical with good ability in the team, but if you concede in the first few minutes you are always chasing the game. You need to stay in the game from the start which was our gameplan and we didn’t do that. We were on the back foot for long periods in the game, we competed well at times but not well enough. The boys didn’t give up, they gave everything and showed a lot of character. We had some little spells ourselves but I think we have had a little [view] of real football tonight.”
On the early goal knocking the confidence of the team…
“It was huge. We had spoken about weathering the first 20 minutes of the game and giving ourselves a platform because we knew we would have to withstand a little bit of pressure. We didn’t do that and it happened a couple of weeks ago against West Ham when we conceded in the opening minutes. They get buoyed by that and get lifted and we are a young team and that can affect us and I thought it did do.”
On his thoughts during half-time…
“It was 2-0 at half-time and we were thinking OK, if we can get the third goal - because at times we looked like we might get a goal - the game changes, but straight away we conceded another goal again just after half-time. Whether that is down to a lack of concentration or winning mentality by not blocking crosses, we didn’t do it and that was the disappointing aspect of the performance for me.”
LFCTV GO: Watch highlights from the clash at Leicester
On what his young players can learn going forward from this game…
“We can take a lot from this game. At times we could have played better football with more style and played The Liverpool Way better. We didn’t do that well enough but we will take a lot from this. The boys need to learn from this. We have got to be ready to compete in every single game. We are expected to win games so we now have a really important game on Friday night against Manchester United at Anfield. Some of the boys were feeling it there physically but we have got to go again. It’s brilliant and that’s why we want to test these young boys to take them outside their comfort zone and we will find out which ones rise and which ones don’t fancy it.”
On the Premier League 2 title race being far from over…
“We’ve got games to go and we’ve got some tough and important ones left. Winning games and winning leagues is important but the development of our players is more important. I know we lost tonight and it’s hard to take sometimes as a coach on the side but I also know we had some young players out there who will take so much from that game. If they hadn’t had that opportunity we wouldn’t find out anything about them so that’s why it’s great to see these young players stepping up and playing in an occasion like this.”
On a great chance for the players to bounce back against Manchester United at Anfield…
“There’s no better or bigger game to bounce back in than Manchester United at home at Anfield on Friday night. It should provide the perfect opportunity for us to bounce back.”
If you want to go to Anfield on Friday night and cheer on the young Reds, tickets must be purchased in advance. Click here for ticket details.