Dominik Szoboszlai singled out two Liverpool players for praise after the 3-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.
Andoni Iraola made 10 changes to his starting line-up for that game, giving youngsters like Rio Ngumoha, Trey Nyoni, Lewis Koumas and James McConnell a chance from the outset.
Each of those seized their opportunity to impress, with the Welsh striker even being named the official Player of the Match, and the Hungarian midfielder has welcomed the added competition for places that those players have brought at Anfield.
Szoboszlai heaps praise on Liverpool youngsters
Speaking after the win over Spurs, Szoboszlai said (via Liverpool Echo): “Of course, for Lewis Koumas and James McConnell, they both did a very good job. Koumas with his timings and Macca (McConnell) with his running ability, both of them deserved to play and I think both did it very well, and now they will make it hard for the gaffer.
“That is our goal to be always consistent and being there every week in the same week how we wanted.
“There is a lot of competition, always – I don’t even know, six midfielders maybe? Trey, Macca [Alexis Mac Allister], Ryan [Gravenberch], Flo [Wirtz], me and Wata [Endo] and James McConnell. We have a lot of competition but it is good to have competition. It is good to have a big squad because you saw it [v Spurs], we need everybody.”
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Added competition can only be good for Liverpool
Szoboszlai is spot on – Iraola will be delighted that youngsters like Nyoni, McConnell and Koumas have given him food for thought when it comes to future games and can be considered as genuine first-team options.
The Welshman earned widespread praise for his indefatigable pressing in the final third, fitting the head coach’s high-intensity blueprint perfectly, while the two young midfielders became increasingly influential as the game against Spurs progressed.
Many Liverpool fans were fearful over squad depth in the middle of the park after Curtis Jones was sold to Inter Milan and not replaced in the transfer market, and concerns over the lack of a new no.6 grew after the Reds were cut open by Newcastle and Nottingham Forest in August.
Iraola must be careful not to overburden the younger players at the club and ask too much of them too soon, but their performance on Tuesday indicated that they can be trusted if the head coach needs to call upon them, should some of our more senior options succumb to injury.
Nyoni, Koumas and McConnell will likely remain as backup options for the foreseeable future, but their displays against Spurs could keep the regular starters on their toes, which is exactly what the Basque will want.
It’s hugely exciting to see how much further those young talents can progress as the season goes on!