Watching your teams over the years, you love to play attacking football. Is Liverpool the perfect club in many ways to put that into practice?
I think so. In my last job when I was the Wales manager there are nine games out of 10 when you are probably going to be the underdog. We played the likes of Belgium, Netherlands and Poland in the Nations League, so inevitably you are going to have to suffer without the ball because teams are going to have a lot of possession against you. Coming here, that has flipped now, which I’m really enjoying because we have got some really exciting young players here in this U21s team. It’s about getting the balance right. Defensively, we need to be hard-working and organised. I’ve just preached to the players about the attitude during my first two weeks because I know they’ve got ability. It has been nice and really refreshing to be able to go and attack from the front. I want to mention Lewis Koumas, who has been exceptional in pre-season, and he triggers the press first just with his energy and his enthusiasm. I want to work with players like that because then you can be more on the front foot and play a more attack-minded game.
It’s been a good start to pre-season so far with beneficial games against Celtic and then Wigan Athletic’s senior team…
A completely different test against Wigan but I was really pleased because it was more about physicality, it was more about you are playing against men now who are training week in, week out in a domestic league. I was so proud of the players against Wigan because I told them in the changing room they not only matched it but added some as well. I thought we played some good football and I thought we were really aggressive in the press, which forced them into errors. It has given them confidence. So when we go into these EFL Trophy games this season against senior opposition, there is nothing for them to fear. We respect the opposition, like I’ve always said, but we won’t fear them.
I know Alex Inglethorpe has been a big help for you here so far…
Alex is great and he has pretty much let me get on with it as well. I always know if I need any advice or a conversation about something then he is there on the end of the phone. We’ve got a great relationship, and with all the staff as well. I’ve just walked in and they have made me settle and made it easy for me straight away – and I’m talking from the kit man all the way through to the Academy director. So, they are a first-class group.
You are working with a big U21s squad in pre-season so far and certainly a few of them could well go on loan. But before that happens the older lads in the squad have a part to play in inspiring these younger players on and off the pitch…
Their attitude has been exemplary, it really has, and I’ve enjoyed working with them. It’s bittersweet because you want to keep your best players around but also you’ve got a duty of care to help them get a career. Using the likes of Lewis and Owen Beck as an example, we want them to get a career. Now is that to play for Liverpool’s first team, so do we need to get them out on loan to get that experience and expose them to that level of football, knowing that they are going to come back in and improve us as a football club? Or is it for them to say they need to go and get a career for themselves? So, it really is bittersweet. You want your best players around you but you also want to help them get a career in the game.
It’s an exciting season ahead. How much are you looking forward to leading the team in the Vertu Trophy and how important is it for younger players to face experienced teams?
It’s really important. Because all we can offer the U21s players in this building is from a tactical point of view. Technically they are very good but when you are exposed to that competitive football… and that’s why that game against Wigan was very important for us, it offered something different to Celtic’s young U21s side. I’ve asked the players to be ruthless, I’ve asked them to be energetic and in both games so far they have absolutely covered that no problem at all. We’ve got a good senior group around us which will lead the way for the younger group. But those cup games are important because if you can tick all the boxes, we know they’ve got the ability, we know they can play and they are tactically aware, but can you cope with the physicality of EFL football? They proved against Wigan that they can.
