---
title: "The Youth Cup, Wigan and the Rodgers Effect"
canonical: "https://readliverpoolfc.com/articles/the-youth-cup-wigan-and-the-rodgers-effect/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Joe Musker"
section: "Articles"
published: "2013-03-07T11:26:25Z"
modified: "2013-08-23T18:15:00Z"
---

# The Youth Cup, Wigan and the Rodgers Effect

Youth football and academy talent have always be synonymous with Liverpool Football Club. From Ian Callaghan to Jamie Carragher, from Phil Thompson to Steven Gerrard, Liverpool have continuously had young players come up through the ranks, making a name for themselves on the hallowed Anfield turf.

In youth football, performances are more important than results. A youth side can win league titles and FA youth cups, but if none of the players involved in the lifting of the trophies make the break through to their clubs first team, the academy is not serving its purpose.

Since Gerrard’s breakthrough in 1998, Liverpool haven’t had a player go in and make a name for themselves as a first team regular.

The likes of Stephen Warnock, Jay Spearing and Neil Mellor have come through and done a job, but no one since the current Liverpool skipper has really come in stamped their mark on the team, making themselves a permanent part of the first team squad for a sustained period. Until now anyway.

Brendan Rodgers and the clubs owners, Fenway Sports Group, have made it clear that they want young players to be heavily involved in the first team, making the academy vital to everything Liverpool do as a club going forward. Rodgers’ work as a youth coach both at Reading and Chelsea clearly had a part to play in his appointment, that coupled with his brilliant work and playing style at Swansea City.

Since Rodgers’ arrival, youngsters Martin Kelly, Andre Wisdom, Suso, Jonjo Shelvey and Raheem Sterling have signed new long-term contracts with the Anfield giants, showing the clubs intent to have academy talent nailed down to the club for the coming years.

During a week at the end of February where Liverpool had no first team fixtures, the senior squad were due to fly out to Dubai for a weeks break, but Rodgers cancelled this after his sides embarrassing FA Cup exit at the hands of Oldham.

Instead, Rodgers took his men to Liverpool’s Kirkby academy, where they were greeted by 128 academy youngsters, aging from eight to twenty one years old, and the senior players were heavily involved in a brilliant session with the club’s next generation.

Pepe Reina faced penalties from the Under 12s, whilst Steven Gerrard assisted the Under 8s with their shooting practice and Luis Suarez played part in a small sided Under 9s match. The players were a million miles from the sunshine of Dubai, but the time spent with their idols for the youngsters would have been invaluable.

Small things like this make up what a football club is about. This is Rodgers putting his stamp on the club, and it’s something I’d like to see happen again. You rarely have first team players interacting with academy players so young, even Jamie Carragher said: “We’ve never done anything like this before.”

Similarly, although again a small touch, Rodgers invited a group of boys from the Under 14s side to be ball boys for the home match with Zenit St Petersburg. It is refreshing to see these little touches from our manager, and it’s great to know that he makes room in his busy schedule to have such a hands on approach with the younger players at the academy.

After all, as mentioned above, his development of youth players and experience working with youngsters is partly what got him the job at Anfield. Rodgers doing things like the day at the academy with the senior squad and getting some of the academy lads involved as ball boys, although small gestures, also reinforce the ‘one club mentality’ we’ve heard so much about. The likes of Wisdom, Shelvey, Suso and Sterling all being dropped back into the Under 21s for a couple of games has been good management, too. It brings the players back down to earth, and also gives them playing time, as the first team now seems settled.

Back to on the pitch matters, and Thursday 28th February saw Liverpool Under 18s host Leeds Utd in the FA Youth Cup at Anfield, with a place in the quarter finals up for grabs. For a lot of the youngsters it was a very important step in their progress, with it being the first time many had played on the famous, hallowed turf.

Steve Cooper fielded a young side, and The Reds eventually took control of the game after a slow start, with forward Jordon Ibe causing Leeds all sorts of problems at the back.

It was Ibe who stole the show, with an explosive brace putting Liverpool 2-0 up. Leeds pulled one back with twenty minutes to go, but Jack Dunn restored the home sides two goal lead and set up a quarter final date away to Hull City.

Ibe is very much one to watch for Liverpool supporters, his versatility of being able to play anywhere across the front three is perfect for the way Rodgers sets his teams up. His main attributes being his pace, strength and excellent dribbling ability also tie in with the type of players Brendan Rodgers loves to have in his sides.

Other youngsters who impressed on the night were dominating Welsh centre back Lloyd Jones and Jordan Rossiter, who at fifteen years old is playing in centre midfield, years below the age bracket of the match. Left back Joe Maguire also had an assured game, the experience of playing at Anfield will be invaluable to these youngsters. Their progress is anticipated greatly by what is a rapidly growing audience, with more and more Liverpool supporters fascinated by the goings on at youth level.

Onto the first team and Saturday saw Liverpool travel to Wigan for the late kick off, at what has been a bogey ground for the Reds, having not won at the DW Stadium since 2007. This time around there was no such trouble, with a majestic performance giving Brendan Rodgers’ men all three points.

Stewart Downing’s second minute header got Liverpool under way in what turned out to be Liverpool’s most lethal performance of the season.

A moment of magic down the left flank from the insatiable Philippe Coutinho, stepping over the ball before sidestepping Emerson Boyce like he wasn’t there before delivering a perfectly weighted cross onto the head of the much improved Downing, who’s timely run to the back post put him in a position where he couldn’t miss.

If Coutinho’s first assist was good, his second was mesmerising, the young Brazilian confidently strutting through the Wigan midfield before playing through the perfect pass for Suarez to double Liverpool’s lead.

A Luis Suarez hat-trick completed the rout, there are literally no words to describe how good he’s been this season, and Saturday he blew us all away with yet another scintillating display. The one thing that sets Suarez apart from the other top players in the league is his work rate.

There were less than five minutes left, Liverpool were 4-0 up and Suarez had already scored a hat-trick, but there was the Uruguayan, sprinting towards the ball in the corner, forcing Ali Al-Habsi to concede a corner. That unrelenting mentality, and never say die attitude, are as important as the exceptional skill he possesses, and what makes him adored by the Anfield faithful in the way he is. A skilful, working class hero, who plays the game the way any fan would, leaving everything on the pitch. His partner in crime, Philippe Coutinho also demonstrated a high work ethic, running himself into the ground before being replaced by Jordan Henderson.

As well the impressive South American amigos, Jose Reina put in his best performance of the season, with a string of fine saves keeping a clean sheet intact.

Glen Johnson bombed forward at will, with a sensational run and pass to Suarez for his hat-trick goal showing precisely what Rodgers wants from his fullbacks in this system. Lucas Leiva had another brilliant game in the heart of midfield, his return, as expected, has been a real key to Liverpool’s good form, with tendancy to lie deep allowing the likes of Johnson, Jose Enrique and even at times Daniel Agger to come out of defence with the ball and add a further dimension to the side’s attacking play.

In conclusion, it was another fantastic attacking display from the Reds, who under Rodgers are making a real habit of thrashing teams at the lower end of the table, the kind of teams Liverpool have recently struggled against.

Up next sees Tottenham Hotspur visit Anfield in what promises to be an enticing game between the two most exciting teams in the league at the moment. Two bright, young managers go head to head, as do two of the leagues best players in Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale.

The key men for Spurs are Jan Vertonghen, Moussa Dembele and Bale who provide the side with a strong spine. Rodgers’ men will look to exploit Tottenham’s full backs who many see as the weak spot in their team. The Spurs defence is often fragile and if Coutinho, Suarez and Daniel Sturridge can combine and get in and around Kyle Walker, Michael Dawson and Benoit Assou-Ekotto, I think Liverpool could finally put that statistic to bed and beat a team in the top six of the Premier League. It promises to be a real cracker at Anfield on Sunday.

#### Prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur