Liverpool now turn their focus away from a successful Premier League outing over the weekend to their opening UEFA Europa League match – LASK in Austria on Thursday evening.
The Reds have naturally been touted as one of the favorites to win the competition in Dublin, but football matches are won on the pitch and not on paper.
In what seems like a lifetime ago, Liverpool reached the final of the Europa League back in Klopp’s first season in charge during 2015/16.
It is expected that Klopp will shake up the line-up that started against Wolves, with many players set to be rested ahead of a stern test hosting West Ham United at Anfield.
Goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, left-back Kostas Tsimikas, midfielder Harvey Elliott and new signings Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch will all think they have a chance at making the starting eleven, while Jarrel Quansah is perhaps deserving of a starting berth come Thursday night.
Ben Doak is also in need of some first-team minutes and may be involved in Austria in some capacity.
However, Jurgen Klopp has hinted that he won’t field an exclusively developmental team and that that those who play will be there on merit:
“If there will be kids involved that depends on the level the kids can show in that moment,” he said to TNT Sports as quoted by the Liverpool Echo.
“We have real talent there (in the Academy), but it is not experimental.”
“I think if we don’t get hit by an injury crisis then we should have enough players to field Thursday and Sunday (at home to West Ham United) a top team, and that’s pretty much the idea.”
“So, we will see, but we have good kids. That’s the benefit of the (recent) international break, when you have all these kids in training.”
“We had 16-year-old boys here, and they are incredibly good, incredibly talented.”
“I can’t wait for them, but now in the moment we leave them where they are, they shall develop and all these kinds of things.”
“But there a few good players out there in the Academy and for all the Liverpool supporters out there, I’m pretty sure the future’s bright.”
The boss finished off with his aspirations for the upcoming European season:
“We want to go as far as somehow possible.”
“I would love to go to the final, obviously, but I have no clue if we can reach that because there will be a lot of fantastic football teams in between us and that target, so we have to make sure we perform.”
