'There's real togetherness in this group and we're looking to respond'
Liverpool U23s boss Barry Lewtas highlighted the fantastic spirit and determination of his young players as they look to get back to winning ways away at Chelsea in Premier League 2 tonight.
Their last outing in the division was a tough one to take as they were punished for defensive mistakes in losing 6-3 against Manchester United in Kirkby.
Since then, the U23s have been left frustrated following the weather-related postponements of scheduled home games with Derby County and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Lewtas insists his players are desperate to put things right and was encouraged by what he saw from his charges during the recent friendly win over Burnley.
Ahead of the 7pm GMT kick-off versus Chelsea, which you can watch live on LFCTV and LFCTV GO, read our pre-match chat with the manager...
On the clash with Chelsea…
We are really looking forward to it. We have had a few postponements due to the weather recently, so the lads can't wait to get back out on the pitch again. We've been a bit unfortunate really and it can affect your rhythm because you want to be playing week to week and ideally more than just every week.
On his pride at seeing Academy lads Leighton Clarkson and Jake Cain on the bench in midweek for the first team in the Champions League last-16 tie with RB Leipzig…
It's fantastic. We also saw Neco Williams come on and Curtis Jones' performance, for me he did extremely well. It was a positive night for the Academy.
On picking the lads up after the home defeat by Manchester United in their last Premier League 2 outing…
I was pleased with the lads in the friendly against Burnley, which was a very tough game. I thought there was actually some good bits against Manchester United, especially the first half when we got it back to 2-2. We probably just lost our way in certain moments and, in fairness to them, they punished the mistakes we made with some real good quality. It was a harsh lesson for us to learn but we get a good opportunity to bounce back and in this division the next game is never easy – and they don't come much tougher than Chelsea.
There's parts of our game that are functioning extremely well and there's parts of our game that obviously we are having to work on and have been working extremely hard on it on the training ground. From a team outlook, there is certain parts we think we can improve on and develop. Individually there has been mistakes and that's from all parts of the pitch. There's certainly been no finger-pointing and there's a real togetherness in the group. We have a smashing group of players and these boys are hurting as well. The only way to put it right is to play and show what we are capable of.
On the impressive display during the 3-1 win over Chelsea in Kirkby in October…
We took a 3-0 lead and started really well in that game. They had a couple of senior players in and we did very well. It was a pleasing performance. Along the way this season we have had a number of pleasing performances but haven't quite managed to get the result, which has been disappointing. We were clinical in that game in the attacking half and we were tight at the back as well. Hopefully we can start converting some of these performances into results.
On the good news that Paul Glatzel and Abdi Sharif are back in training and could return soon after injury…
At the moment we have a big training group and getting these boys back adds to the competition and quality. More importantly, Paul and Abdi have been two boys who have been through the mill recently with a few setbacks. It's pleasing to get any player back from injury but some have been through it worse than others, like Paul and Abdi. So to see them back on the grass and training hard is a real positive for them but also the group as well. It's just great to see the smiles back on their faces. They missed so much football last season through injury and then in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic and then getting injured again this season, so it's been really tough for them. They are two really positive lads and two very popular members of the group and when they are fit they will certainly add their quality to us. It's great to have them back around.
On the influence of U23s assistant boss Gary O'Neil on the squad…
It is great to have Gary with us. He has a wealth of experience in terms of his playing background and his coaching ability. Being able to marry them two things together has certainly added to the staff that we have. Gary is having a positive impact not just on our young players but the staff as well. We have a really good group and Gary certainly adds a wealth of experience to that.