Daniel’s Debrief: Union SG 2-1 Liverpool

What did we want from tonight?

No injuries. Check.

A majority of the first team rested. Check.

Experience for youngsters. Check.

It’s incredibly rare that you get a game like this in football, one that means absolutely nothing, but Liverpool have actually had a few of them under Jurgen Klopp - Sion in 2015, Midtjylland in 2020, AC Milan in 2021 and this one. 

It’s testament to how well Liverpool attack the early part of the group stage of European competition under Klopp that they’ve been in this position more than once.

While prestige, rhythm and prize money were the priorities in the other fixtures I mention, tonight is no priority whatsoever in terms of the game itself.

What everyone is thinking about is the bigger picture. The Europa League is important for Liverpool this year but it doesn’t become important again until March, and just in the next ten days the Reds have two huge league fixtures and a cup quarter-final.

And so, there’s no place on the plane to Belgium for Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, while Dominik Szoboszlai, Kostas Tsimikas and Luis Diaz all travel but don’t play.

Wataru Endo and Ibrahima Konate do start - perhaps a surprise as both are likely to do so on Sunday too - but only play 45. Cody Gakpo gets the nod up front and it’s gametime for him, with a cameo for Darwin Nunez too.

So there’s a few that are involved that will be at the weekend too. 

But generally, it’s a mix of fringe players and youngsters.

Although we lose the game, what disappoints more is the lack of ‘taking a chance’ from some of these players.

It’s an opportunity to stake a claim and show worth to the manager for the likes of Endo, Gakpo, Curtis Jones and co. And it’s not taken at all. All struggle badly.

Konate is unconvincing again, and Caoimhin Kelleher is far too easily beaten for both Union goals. I’ve been critical of him this season and he’s conceding goals that just wouldn’t threaten with Alisson, or another high-quality keeper between the sticks.

However, I will say that the first goal looks comfortably offside, and I wonder if we’ve been reverse-Diaz-ed.

Harvey Elliott is a bit of a menace in the second half, and Nunez brings an outlet that is missing for most of the game.

As for the youngsters, both full-backs suffer. Conor Bradley and Luke Chambers will learn a lot from that experience but neither perform to a level that makes you think they are currently sufficient backup.

Ben Doak is one who you’d have expected to have made a bigger impact on the season so far. He’s had a few ineffective Europa performances and a middling evening against Leicester in the cup, and interestingly is deployed on the left here.

This is to facilitate Kaide Gordon’s return to the right flank. It’s been a long road back from injury for the winger, who there was so much belief around after he signed from Derby, and in his first year at the club.

Rather than a deep dive into a game as inconsequential as this, it’s worth evaluating the group as a whole.

Four wins and a defeat from the first five is such a good return and it entitled Klopp to write this last game off.

His use of the squad has been varied throughout and whilst Endo, Elliott and Jarell Quansah - Liverpool’s scorer and best player tonight - have been mainstays, the rest of the squad have all been involved at points.

He’s used the competition to gain momentum for players ahead of league games and also given chances to those who aren’t featuring as much at weekends.

Elliott, for example, hasn’t started a league game all season but I’m convinced his Europa games have helped him be so sharp and effective from the bench domestically.

Liverpool’s squad has helped them sail through this group stage, which, it must be said, was quite an easy one in terms of its makeup.

However, the target is to win this competition, and there are some fringe players who will need to feature less regularly on Thursdays from March onwards if the Reds have Dublin aspirations.

Another English side that have finished top of their Europa group is West Ham. Liverpool play them in the League Cup next week and a lineup like tonight’s would get eaten alive by a Premier League side of their quality.

For some players, it’s a case of thank you for your service, you won’t be required as often from now on.

Daniel