Klopp's kids leave Liverpool boss bursting with pride as Takumi Minamino shows promise

There won’t be a prouder manager in world football than Klopp
Liverpool FC via Getty Images
David Lynch5 January 2020

It is unlikely anyone inside Anfield this afternoon will remember the last time Everton started a game at this stadium as favourites to win.

However, a Liverpool teamsheet showing nine changes, several youngsters, and plenty of fringe players as a result of that recent festive fixture logjam accounted for that fact today.

With Carlo Ancelotti - the only manager to have beaten Jurgen Klopp this season - going strong in his selection, there was even an unfamiliar sense of optimism in the away end ahead of kick-off.

In truth, seasoned Toffees supporters should have known better.

It had all started so well for the visitors, who had the better of a first half in which their opponents looked like a much-rotated and inexperienced team.

But as the game wore on, Liverpool grew, and with them the inevitability of a Merseyside derby winner that they always, always find: in this case, from 18-year-old Curtis Jones.

Action Images via Reuters

Who’d be an Everton fan?

Klopp bursting with pride at full-time

There won’t be a prouder manager in world football than Klopp this evening.

The German has spent four years imprinting his football philosophy on Liverpool’s first team, and is nearing perfection in that regard as one look at the league table proves.

AFP via Getty Images

But to see a reserve side show everything that is good about the Reds at the moment, and against Everton’s best? This is new territory.

It says everything about the scrope of Klopp’s influence at Anfield that a combination of youngsters and fringe players produced a performance that had his fingerprints all over it.

And that no doubt contributed to a triple fist-pump aimed at the Kop following a memorable Merseyside derby victory.

Minamino shows flashes on Reds’ debut

AFP via Getty Images

As Virgil van Dijk found out two years ago, there is no better game in which to make your Liverpool debut than a Merseyside derby.

And while Takumi Minamino didn’t quite get the fairytale start of his Dutch colleague, he still did enough to excite supporters about his potential in a red shirt.

The Japan international didn’t look like someone playing Klopp’s system for the first time as he pressed expertly and showed his threat both on the break and in tight areas.

He even came inches from a dream goal in nodding a Divock Origi cross just wide of the post in the first half.

Of course, there is much, much more to come from Minamino, but this is just the start - and an exciting one at that.

Williams ready to back up indispensable Trent

Liverpool FC via Getty Images

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s unique interpretation of the role of right-back has provided Klopp with something of a headache during his rare injury absences.

Such is the young Scouser’s quality on the ball, his manager has had no choice but to replace him with a midfielder - usually James Milner - whenever he fails to make the team.

However, those days might be coming to an end if Neco Williams’ performance in this game is anything to go by.

As was the case against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup earlier this season, the young Welshman was hugely impressive here.

Whether it was putting in a dangerous cross or getting back on the cover to put in a crucial tackle, Williams did everything Klopp would have asked on both sides of the ball.

Should Alexander-Arnold face a spell on the sidelines any time soon, his replacement has surely become a little clearer.

Lallana a credit to Liverpool shirt again

Lalla vying for a start against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side next weekend.
Action Images via Reuters

James Milner’s sixth-minute withdrawal due to injury didn’t just deprive Liverpool of a top player, but also an experienced head in a young team.

Step forward Adam Lallana, who not only took on the captain’s armband following his colleague’s departure, but also the responsibility for dragging his teammates over the line.

The 31-year-old left everything he had on the pitch, somehow finding sprint after sprint from the first whistle to the last as he outfought and out-thought Everton’s first-choice midfield.

If anyone was still in any doubt as to why Klopp absolutely loves Lallana, this game provided all the answers.

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