Well, I thought I'd do a bit of research on players in our Academy and reserve that we could be seeing a lot more of soon. I've just compiled a small bit of info about them, and rated whether I think they will make it in the first team or not. Dani Pacheco - He has definite talent about him, he has excelled on the international stage with the Spain U19 team and has impressed in the reserves. Although there is a question on whether he is "mature" enough for the premier league. I would say he is, he has a type of "Arsenal quality" about him that makes me think he'd slot into the Arsenal side just fine, so there's no reason why he shouldn't at Liverpool. Potential Rating: 9/10 Standing: Squad member next season, First team member the next. Danny Wilson - There's a reason why he was in the first team for Rangers, he is a quality young CB and playing with an experienced counterpart at Rangers definitely put an old head on young shoulders. He has a very good defensive ability, and whilst he won't be a last ditch tackler like Carragher he is fast and will hopefully cut balls out before they get to their destination. Potential Rating: 7/10 Standing: Squad member next season, First team member the next. Jesus Fernandez Suso - Well, what can I say about this boy? He's 17 but he already looks like he's ready to slot into a spanish team. Pure talent on this one, he has some awesome long passing skills which can find the widest of teammates. His skill in getting his way out of positions is also very good, the only thing he lacks is a Gerrard outside the box shot - but let's face it nobody will have that kind of shot for another hundred years. In short, a kid to look out for. Potential Rating: 10/10 Standing: Reserves next season with odd appearances, Squad member the next. Raheem Sterling - We've seen so much of him recently and he is a class act. A winger by trade he can score a string of goals easily - and none of them easy tap ins either. He's still very young and we know the risks of throwing a player in the deep end too quickly with huge expectations. Potential Rating: 10/10 Standing: Reserves next season, Odd appearances the next. Conor Coady - If anyone is going to fill Gerrard's boots when he hangs them up it'll be Coady, although it is very hard to tell now. The type of game he plays means it's very hard to tell whether he would fit into a faster paced game or not. Although he definetly has vision in his passing and keeps the Academy team together with his leadership skills. Potential Rating: 8/10 Standing: Odd appearances in Europa next, Possible squad member after that. Steven Irwin - A huge Liverpool fan, but he's still not close to hitting the first team squad at the age of 20. He plays a Central role either in midfield or defence, although I don't quite think he's good enough to slot into the first team. He is one of these players that could pop up and surprise you though. Potential Rating: 5/10 Standing: Reserves next season, possible squad member next season. John Flanagan - Our next potential right back IF Kelly moves to CB. I see Kelly as a better all round right back than Flanagan, which is preventing Flanagan from getting a run out at RB in the first team. At 17, he still has a bit to learn, but if we could bring him through with Coady then we could see a potential Carragher - Gerrard partnership between them. Potential Rating: 7/10 Standing: Will stay in reserves for a few seasons before breaking into First team when Injuries hit. Nathan Eccleston - Now this one is a difficult one to judge. He has moments of pure quality when he looks to be a great player, but when he's been tested in the first team he hasn't impressed me and looks unable to finish - this could just be nerves or inexperience. It doesn't change the fact he has potential, whether or not he can keep with the pressure of the first team or not is another matter. Potential Rating: 8/10 Standing: The next 2 seasons could be his make or break seasons. Daniel Ayala - Such a quality CB, and another one to look out for. A very large fella vaguely reminiscent of Hyypiä - he's had trouble with an injury for a little while which I think has kept him out of the first team. Currently on loan, I can see him pushing for the first team next seasons. Potential Rating: 8/10 Standing: Next season he'll be pushing for first team appearances. Thomas Ince - Currently on loan at Notts county with his Dad, he hasn't played too many games but the ones he has played in he's impressed me atleast with 2 fantastic goals. Looks like a bright prospect and I would like to see him loaned to potentially a League 1 club to get some more game time. Probably best utilised as a Left midfielder. Potential Rating: 9/10 Standing: Not going to be a fully fledged squad member for a few years yet. David Amoo - I admit I can't find very much on Amoo, made 3 appearances for Mk dons on loan, but hasn't scored yet. Although from word of mouth I have heard good things about him. Potential Rating: 7/10 ? Standing: Won't be a first team squad member for a few years yet. Andre Wisdom - Another English defender, give it 4 years and we could be seeing an all Liverpool defence in the England squad. A powerful player who I can see becoming one of our 4 top CB choices in a few years time. There is a thought he could just excel at U18 because he is strong for his age, but we'll have to see how he copes in the first team. Potential Rating: 7.5/10 Standing: Reserves next season, Europa/Champions league the next. Gerardo Bruna - The Spanish Gerrard? Not quite. Born in Argentina, but Spanish nationality - he is highly rated, but what I've seen of him was quite sloppy. He does work well with Suso and they compliment each other quite well running the midfield. Bruna definetly has potential, but still has some improving to do. Potential Rating: 8/10 Standing: Reserves for a season or 2 yet. Jack Robinson - The youngest player ever to play for liverpool, another Englishman and he's a left back. Could be a future LB, but he will be battling with Insua for the place. One to watch out for. Potential Rating: 8/10 Standing: Possible odd performance next season. Alex Cooper - A Scottish Central midfielder, definetly has the "drive and determination" needed to play for Liverpool and reminds me of the days when Kuyt could run the ball through the opposition half and pass it. Potential Rating: 7.5/10 Standing: Reserves for another few seasons yet. Nikola Saric - Apparently a great talent, but I haven't seen too much of him. He's 19 now though, and still hasn't impressed enough to get a first team squad number so I don't have high hopes for him. Potential Rating: 6.5/10 Standing: Might never make it with us. Adam Morgan - An english striker and touted as another potential great to come out of the Academy with Suso and Sterling. He has impressed a lot as a left footed striker and has a very good strike rate. Potential Rating: 8.5/10 Standing: Academy next season, Reserves the next. Toni Silva - A tough one to do, whilst he is no doubt a talent - he plays in a position we have no lack of talent in, and they are all a year or so older than him. We should definitely loan him out soon so he can get some experience and show us all what he can do, no lack of potential. Potential Rating: 8.5/10 Standing: Loanee next season, possible odd starter the season after. Jason Banton - Yet ANOTHER winger, and he's pretty good too. He was touted as a potential great in Blackburn's reserves and has definelty impressed in his short time with us coming on as a substitute in the win over Southend. Like Silva though, he is battling for a position there is no lack of talent in. Potential Rating: 8/10 Standing: Reserves next season, Loan the season after? Kristjan Emilsson - Looks like another gem in the attacking midfield position - a host of top european clubs were after him, but we managed to lure him in. Definetly got talent - we'll see whether he can push his way through to the first team though. Potential Rating: 8/10 Standing: Reserves for a few seasons yet. Michael Ngoo - A great striker for the academy with an eye for goal. He has some spectacular moments where I think his true potential and quality shines through, but we'll see whether he can produce enough of that quality to demand a place in the first team. Potential Rating: 8.5/10 Standing: Reserves next, loan after. Well, that's all I've got - No point doing them all, as I'm sure there are plenty of them who will never make it with us.
Love the review, from what i have seen and heard seems pretty accurate, however i would liked to have seen Robinson and Toni Silva featured aswell
What we need coming out of the academy is players that play in specialist positions,what we don't need is ''luxury players''.The problem is we've currently got too many in the first team squad and that needs to be addressed.What I mean is players that can play 2 or more positions and don't specialise in one particular position ie Milan Jovanovic and Joe Cole and Maxi,one or two out of the three need to be moved on.My bet would be on keeping Joe Cole for the simple reason,He's younger than the other two and he's English.
If you had to pick 5 players to come through next season - which ones would they be? For me they'd be: Pacheco, Wilson, Robinson, Ince and Ayala. Suso and Sterling still need to have a year gaining experience. Also note: That's CB, LB, LM/LW and CM sorted right there. Possibly only a RW missing.
I agree with that,Flanagan has to play a year in the reserves.Coady is 18 now and possibly needs to go a year out on loan.
Excellent review. Looks like the future is bright now with some cracking players coming through the academy.
Very good review's. I never really get excited by youth player's because a lot of them fizzle out before they reach the first team, but in Suso and Sterling I think we have two Jem's.
http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/young-guns-in-seventh-heaven seven wins on the trot, sterling bagging again =D
Are Liverpool top of the youth league?,with a run of form like this they surely must be.Bring on Man United in the next round.
Pacheco - might make it, but three successive managers now appear to be overlooking him, so maybe he's not making the progress we all hoped for. Would still like to see him given some more chances in the first team though. Wilson - good young player who I watched for Rangers last season. Very promising and should be a regular in two to three years time. But a centre-back by trade, not a left back and imo will never be a natural in that position. Suso - only seen highlights of him playing for our youth time, which can obviously be deceiving but looked very good nevertheless. Hopefully can add some much needed creativity and craft to our team in a few years. Sterling - apparently has blistering pace, but imo is still too young to make a definitive judgement on. Pace is all very well, but it's what you do with the ball at the end of it that counts. Whether he matures in this area could be key. Coady - I like this kid, seems really honest and captained the England U19s to success last summer which can only be a good sign. Personally from the few glimpses I've seen of him playing, I would have him as a DM but he can also play as a CB apparently. Robinson - left back who is youngest player to play for first time at end of last season. Like Sterling, it's too early to tell whether he'll graduate into the first time imo. But looks promising. That's my thoughts on the most promising kids of the bunch imo. Of the others, I had some hopes for Ayala and Eccleston, but they've both been sent out on loan and the former looks increasingly isolated from our first team despite doing nothing wrong whenever he has played for us. Overall, I would expect Wilson, Coady and hopefully Suso to make it. Sterling if he continues to improve at his current rate, same for Robinson but I'm not sure about Pacheco anymore...
To suggest that Raheem Sterling has no end product is ludicrous,He has scored 9 goals in the last 3 games.Rodolfo Borrell is using him to perfection,He's testing him and he's passed all the tests,He's switched him from one side to the other to see can he adapt on either foot and he can.He's 16 playing at under 18 level.Okay the next step is the reserves,which I reckon he will take to like a duck to water.
Still have a few games in hand,it looks like our under 18s are going to be crowned cream of the crop.
On current form we should do - we need to win all our games in hand, but if we do we'll go top on goal difference.
