Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp: We'd have been lost without young players
Liverpool have dipped into youth ranks to accommodate injuries to Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Thiago; Reds are second in Premier League behind Tottenham on goal difference; Liverpool play final Champions League group game, against FC Midtjylland, on Wednesday
Tuesday 8 December 2020 14:38, UK
Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool "would have been lost" without the young players who have stepped up to first-team duty in recent weeks.
Klopp welcomed back Trent Alexander-Arnold and Naby Keita to his squad for the 4-0 win over Wolves on Saturday but remains without influential defender Virgil van Dijk, England centre-back Joe Gomez and high-profile summer signing Thiago after a spate of early-season injuries.
Those absences have meant Klopp has had to dip into the Anfield youth ranks and that show of faith has paid off with the team second in the Premier League on goal difference only and heading into tonight's Champions League group game against FC Midtjylland already qualified for the knockout stages.
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"We had some problems injury-wise and that's clear - we lost top, top class players to injuries," said Klopp. "Then of course when one door closes another one opens up but you still need the right players to use the chance and all of the boys did it.
"I can go through all of the boys - what Rhys Williams has done in the Champions League so far is exceptional, Neco (Williams) has played two really good games in a row, Curtis (Jones) plays like he has been at the club for 10 years and Caoimhin (Kelleher) was always a talent but he's now getting the chance to show that on a big stage.
"Without these players, we would have been lost, to be honest. Thank God it turned out the way it did. The big part is that they were ready for it and they were really well-prepared, that's why we've been able to use them in the way we have used them."
With Liverpool already through to the next stage of the Champions League, Klopp suggested he may use Wednesday night's game as an opportunity to rest players but that he also has the target of winning 15 points out of 18 in his mind.
"There are players that didn't play in the Wolves game and I still have a few hours to make decisions before Wednesday, to analyse things," he said.
"It's the first time we don't have to get a result in the last match of the group stage so we have to consider that situation but we also have to consider it's the Champions League, we are Liverpool and we want to win the game.
"All of these things will lead to the line-up."
Kelleher staying grounded after Liverpool breakthrough
Liverpool's rookie goalkeeper Kelleher is trying to take his rapid rise in his stride.
The Republic of Ireland U21 international has marked his debuts in arguably club football's two biggest competitions - the Champions League and Premier League - with two clean sheets after putting in another competent display in the 4-0 win over Wolves.
Kelleher, who only turned 22 a fortnight ago, is standing in for the injured Alisson Becker having been promoted to number two ahead of the previously established Adrian.
"I'm just trying to be there for the team to help them out in those moments and thankfully again I was able to make those saves and get the clean sheet," he said.
"To get the clean sheet, for me and the back four, is the most important thing for us. We've done our job then.
"From the first minute we really were on fire and we played really well. It was top class. We scored four goals [and] could maybe have had a few more as well. It was a great all-round team performance."
