Papa Lucas Talks About the Kids

One of the best things about watching Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Leeds in the League Cup quarterfinal was seeing all the young players out there doing good footballing stuff. Academy products Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ovie Ejaria, and (most notably) Ben Woodburn all featured for the Reds.

But in addition to excellent yutes, we also had excellent veterans to help them out, and no current Liverpool player is more veteran than Lucas Leiva. After the match, Lucas talked about the youth movement at Liverpool, and what the squad is doing to help them out.

“I think when you have a good core in the team, when the young players come in they feel comfortable, they feel confident and that’s what we try to do – let them express themselves because their quality is there,” Lucas told the official club website. “It’s one more game for them to get experience and they just need to keep going and keep learning.”

On the man (boy?) of the night, Ben Woodburn, Lucas was full of just praise.

“It was fantastic. He came on in the last game for just a few minutes, but against Leeds he got a good run and just showed his quality. It was a good goal – good finishing – and he just needs to keep going.

“He is still very young and there is still a lot to learn, but he is a good boy and for sure he can go on to be a big player for Liverpool in the future.”

If Liverpool can continue producing cup results like this one with heavily changed squads, the Reds could be in for a big year.