NewsU18s preview: 'I love trying to make these players better and challenge them'
The young Reds have just two games left in U18 Premier League North and play their final home fixture of the campaign on Saturday, hosting Middlesbrough at the Kirkby Academy.
Kick-off is 12.30pm BST and supporters can watch the action live on All Red Video.
Wiles' charges have certainly been entertainers this season as the division's second-top scorers, netting on 66 occasions.
Despite the midweek 4-1 loss at Manchester United, Wiles took plenty of positives from the overall display and wants his team to finish the season strongly.
Read on as he speaks with Liverpoolfc.com about the campaign overall…
On the defeat by United…
The way that it finished was a little bit frustrating, to be honest with you. I thought we got ourselves into a good place in the second half and we really took the game to United. We had quite a lot of sustained possession in their half and it's all about trying to find those moments we can capitalise on.
I wouldn't necessarily say there were massive clear-cut chances for us, but once we got the first goal I just thought with the pressure we were applying, something might fall for us. We then gave a penalty away when we were opened up in the middle of the park and got punished. I was gutted for the lads and it was frustrating. Our second-half performance was good and we probably deserved a little bit more than what we got.
On a great experience for the younger players in the squad, playing against United's FA Youth Cup final team…
That is what we are about - development football. We had Luca Eden at 15 going up against one of their highly rated second-years in central midfield, which was great for him. Erik Farkas was playing as an U16 player too, so from our side we are all about giving them an opportunity if they are in that position to be able to go and do that with the performances that they are putting in. Ultimately, we just want to keep exposing the players as much as we can to different situations, different challenges and this was another one for those lads.
On how much he has enjoyed his first season as head coach of Liverpool U18s...
It has been brilliant and I've thoroughly enjoyed it. Just working with the players every single day is exactly what I love doing. I love trying to get them better and I love to challenge them. I'm really enjoying working with all of the staff and we have really good staff here. We just keep working hard, finding different ways to keep these lads developing.
On a positive season for Josh Sonni-Lambie, scoring 21 goals for the U18s...
Josh has had a really good season in terms of his numbers and how he has developed across the season. The last part of this season he has made the step up to the U21s, training regularly with them and getting opportunities to play. It's great for him and I think that's the one thing we are always looking to do when we see the level of performance.
When we feel that the next challenge for the player is to make that step up, because of the great relationship that we have got with the U21s staff there is always that opportunity for them to have that chance. We are looking to get more lads over when the time is right and give them that exposure, that next challenge, and hopefully that will help them with their careers moving forward.
On being the division's second-top scorers but needing to improve defensively…
I think that has been our Achilles heel, hasn't it? When you talk about Liverpool Football Club you always think about the attacking style of play and that's one of the key things I wanted to embed on this team. I think we have got a lot of exciting players and attacking talents. So, that has been a real positive, but with that always comes exposure and the defensive challenge that comes from that. With that we are hoping the likes of Prince Cisse, Lucas Clarke and lads like DJ Esdaille and Cam Williams when they get back fit, once we start getting those lads back in and around it and give them exposure then they are going to improve and be better footballers and progress.
On converting Cisse to a new role at centre-back…
Prince has done well and credit where credit is due. He has applied himself every single day in the best way he possibly can and we always talk about him being the best version of himself daily. He has really bought into that and it comes down to him as a person. He is really committed to improving and committed to his learning. When you have that sort of attitude and you can take onboard the information we are trying to give and try to help him as a defender, that will put him in a good place and we are hoping to see him progress more.
On his hopes for the remaining two games of the season…
As always, nothing changes. We just want to make sure that we are competitive and we want to keep giving opportunities to players who we feel are ready for it. We've got some exciting prospects coming through from the U16s, who are competing with the other lads throughout the week, which is great. It will be a tough game against Middlesbrough. We did really well to win at their place and that's going to be another good challenge for our players. We just focus on the way that we want to play and the style we want to play, but also making sure we get the players performing to the level we want them to.