AcademyJarell Quansah on clean sheets, ambitions and Spurs test

Max Woltman netted the only goal as the young Reds defeated Mike Sheron’s side 1-0 in front of the watching Jürgen Klopp to get their first three points in Premier League 2 this term.

After the opening-day 3-0 loss to Manchester City, the response from Barry Lewtas’ team has been excellent.

A draw at Brighton & Hove Albion followed thanks to a superb last-gasp finish by Layton Stewart, and last weekend’s win against Blackburn sees the group head into Friday night’s game at Tottenham Hotspur in a buoyant frame of mind.

Quansah told Liverpoolfc.com: “Getting a clean sheet for someone playing in the back four is one of the biggest things possible and we are a young one as well. So the more work we do on the training pitch, the more familiar we get with each other.

“It’s just building that culture and atmosphere between us where we can get clean sheets, we can be buzzing about it and it’s a good foundation to work from.

“It’s always a good challenge in Premier League 2 and every team poses a different threat.

“Blackburn were a bit more direct, so we were able to deal with that, walk away with the clean sheet and get the win, so we were happy.

“The opening game against Manchester City was tough. We had moments in the game when we played well but losing 3-0 at home wasn’t good enough.

“We have good foundations in place, though, and we are building blocks, which saw us step up at Brighton and we were unfortunate not to win the game.”

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With Billy Koumetio now on loan at Austria Vienna and Tom Clayton moved on to Swindon Town, Quansah has found himself playing alongside Lee Jonas at the heart of the defence, with the Scouser moving up to U21s level to resume their partnership from the U18s days.

“I love Jonah, he’s a good lad and he’s good to play alongside,” he added.

“I’ve had a few partners at centre-back and he’s right up there with the best of them.”

Quansah is hoping the Reds can now start to build up a winning momentum in the division when they head to Tottenham on Friday night.

Kick-off at Stevenage FC’s Lamex Stadium is at 7pm BST and you can watch the game live on LFCTV and LFCTV GO.

“We are looking forward to it, these big tests come every week for us, which is what we want,” Quansah said.

“We just want to keep building for the rest of the season, try to push on and get more wins and more clean sheets.”

Quansah, who has been at the Academy since the age of five, made big strides in 2021-22.

The Warrington-born defender was twice an unused substitute for the senior Reds team, against Tottenham in the Premier League and Leicester City in the Carabao Cup.

He ended the campaign by playing a major role as England won the UEFA U19 European Championship.

Quansah featured in every game at the summer tournament, scoring in the semi-finals and then providing a crucial assist in the final as the Young Lions beat Israel 3-1.

“It was a good opportunity for me last season and I just want to get further and further in my career now,” he added.

“Hopefully I can play as many games as possible at this level this season and then impress the first-team staff.

“It’s not stupid to have that ambition and I just want to put in as many good performances as I can first with the U21s and then build from there.

“I know at 19 it’s young for a centre-back but if you are old enough, you are ready I guess, so I’m ready for the challenge ahead.”