Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has given an important message to young midfielder Curtis Jones ahead of the Carabao Cup tie against Arsenal.
Liverpool Football Club have been very impressed with the development of young midfielder Curtis Jones. But they have warned him that passion and ambition alone will not seem succeed in the first team.
Assistant Manager Pep Lijnders took charge of today’s pre-match press conference ahead of the visit of Arsenal in the Carabao Cup. He spoke about a number of the young players, many of whom are set to feature as the club rests its top stars.
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Curtis Jones started in the last round – a 2-0 victory over MK Dons – and did well. He will be hoping to start again tomorrow night but Lijnders has a warning for him:
"“He is a boy from the city. And all these boys from the city at the Academy have so much passion and ambition. Look at Tottenham game; we had most shots on targets, but the difference was made in the 30% when we didn’t have the ball. Our concentration.”"
Good passing, running, shooting and desire are all essential qualities but Jurgen Klopp demands more of his front three; they are essential to the defensive shape and quick counter attacking. Lijnders continued:
"Our front three defended six Tottenham players all game. Non-stop. That’s what the youngsters need to learn. That’s the next step. How good are you in that 30%?"
Tactical discipline is a non-negotiable for Klopp and Lijnders. It is not just a quality they want players to have, it is an identity for the whole team – “That’s Liverpool. Our identity is intensity.”
You can sense the hesitancy to fully trust even seasoned internationals like Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain until they have fully grasped the tactical elements of Klopp’s system. It is not just something that the Academy players have to learn.
You can watch the whole of Pep Lijnders press conference for the Arsenal matchup here:
Liverpool host Arsenal tomorrow as they attempt to progress to the quarter-finals of the League Cup. The game is at 7:30pm GMT/3:30pm EST and you can catch more of the build up here on RushTheKop.