'Let's finish the season on a high at Anfield'
As Liverpool U23s prepare to bring the curtain down on 2018-19 against Blackburn Rovers on Sunday, boss Neil Critchley has encouraged his team to put on a show at Anfield.
The young Reds have won their last three matches against Derby County, Chelsea and Leicester City respectively, and end their Premier League 2 campaign at the first-team stadium this weekend.
Kick-off at Anfield is at 4pm BST and you can watch the game live on LFCTV and LFCTV GO. For ticket details, click here.
Read on for Critchley’s thoughts on Sunday’s game, the Anfield factor and his assessment of the season as a whole...
On ending the season at Anfield...
It’s a great way to finish off our season. We managed to do the same last season against Chelsea so we are looking forward to a tough game but with the added bonus that it is at Anfield which makes the difference to the players. It’s a game we are really looking forward to.
On the recent victories against Derby, Chelsea and Leicester…
You know you are going to get different teams with different personnel at U23 level but it’s always important we show the principles that we try to enforce in training. We work closely towards what the first team are trying to produce and I think we have done that in good spells this season, particularly in the back half of the season when the results have been very encouraging.
On 2018-19 as a whole…
It’s very subjective because you are always looking for the players within the team to be progressing and that can obviously be open to opinion. I think there has been some good progression from certain individuals this season. We have been pleased with how some of the boys have done but we are always impatient and are always looking for more, and that’s our job. We are always striving for a higher standard and you never settle for what you’ve got. Even though we are happy it’s always: 'What’s next? What do you need to improve on, work on?' That never changes. That’s what we follow every day.
On looking to end the season on a winning note…
We have been on a good run of results and we want that to continue on Sunday. The performances of late have been very good and if the team are playing well then it gives the chance for the individuals to show what they are capable of. It’s a great end to the season, a good game to look forward to at Anfield and we want to put on a really good show, win the game and pick up three more points.