Latest news with #RioNgumoha
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Why did Liverpool's development teams struggle last season – and does it matter?
Liverpool's first-team took the Premier League by storm under Arne Slot last season, but for the club's development sides it was a different story. The under-21s finished 16th out of 26 in Premier League 2 and lost to Manchester City in the first knock-out round of the play-offs. The under-18s, meanwhile, endured a torrid campaign, finishing 11th out of 13 with just five wins all season and looked like a team drained of confidence since the turn of the year. Both will have new head coaches next season after internal changes. Advertisement By common consent, the current crop of under-18s are not as strong as in previous years and players such as Rio Ngumoha, who started with the group having joined from Chelsea last summer, have been pushed up to the higher age bracket for most of the campaign. Even his return on the final game of the season couldn't spark an uplift, though, as the team lost 3-0 to local rivals Everton in a game that summed up the miserable campaign. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, the under-18s coach, has left after 10 years at the club and five years in the role, with Liverpool expected to make an external appointment for his replacement. Bridge-Wilkinson returned to his previous club, Huddersfield, this week as an assistant first team coach. It was a disappointing end to his tenure. Asked by The Athletic last month whether the league table was an accurate reflection of the season, he said: 'It probably is because we haven't won enough games. We know improvements have been made and a lot of hard work is going into it but we don't always get to see that on a Saturday. 'There's been improvement within the individuals but we haven't been able to get that into the team setting enough on a matchday. It's been tough, although we've shown as a club and an academy what we can do with players to get them close to their potential.' Under-21 head coach Barry Lewtas is also leaving after 12 years at the club and five in his current role. 'Sometimes you just know the time is right for a new adventure and I really feel the perfect time for me is now,' he told Lewtas hopes to become a head coach at senior level. For Liverpool it is a time to reflect on years of good work and refresh the setup for the future. Results and league positions are not the most important factor to consider when analysing youth football, especially as this was still another season of relative success for the academy with 14 graduates used in first-team games across all competitions and many more sent on loan to gain valuable experience. Advertisement The main objective for staff working at the club's Kirkby base is to prepare players for either a crack at representing the club at senior level in the future, or to succeed elsewhere. If those who do not make it are moved on for sizeable transfer fees, that also represents good business, and with Liverpool's list of talent they are well-positioned to achieve both. Take Trey Nyoni, for example. The 17-year-old is eligible to feature for both the under-21s and under-18s but is recognised as a first-team player as he trains with the seniors and has made five appearances for Slot's team this season across the Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup. He has only played in development games when the schedule allows. Although Tyler Morton, 22, (six appearances) and James McConnell, 20, (four appearances) have not featured as often as either would have hoped, both are set up nicely for the future whether that be at Anfield or beyond. Jarell Quansah's rise is another success story for the academy and helps provide evidence that a pathway is there for the most talented players. Yet there is still a degree of expectation for the club that has just won its 20th English league title to flex their muscles in the older age groups through results on the pitch. Manchester City's under-18s earned 46 more points than Liverpool to finish top of the league with Manchester United and Everton below in second and third. City's under-21s, who also finished top of the pile, recorded 20 points more than Liverpool to further underline their dominance. Aston Villa won the FA Youth Cup, beating City in the final. Liverpool were beaten 4-1 by Preston North End in the third round. City remain strong recruiters at academy level and are often the first choice for players and families who have multiple options to consider, so their success is no surprise. Like Liverpool, City also allowed a number of their most progressive young players to depart on loan while keeping a select group around to use across first-team games and training. Advertisement The difference, however, was in the sheer volume of players who left on a temporary basis. Liverpool sanctioned deals for 13 players to move on loan and that affected the way the under-21 team operated thereafter. In many of the games the team needed a ruthless finisher up front to put away chances. Jayden Danns, 19, who agreed on a loan move to Sunderland but wasn't able to feature due to injury, would have made a huge difference if he had been available, as would Lewis Koumas, 19, who spent the season on loan at Stoke City. Yet both players were at an advanced stage and had outgrown development football. Liverpool place a priority on sending players out to play men's football when the right opportunities arrive and have plans to bulk up the staffing levels around that department following Matt Newberry's promotion from director or loans and pathways to director of global talent. Newberry still oversees the progression of players on loan but will be assisted with more support moving forward. Like the previously successful loan spells of Harvey Elliott (Blackburn Rovers), Conor Bradley (Bolton Wanderers) and Quansah (Bristol Rovers), a number of players have succeeded away from the club this season. Ben Doak was performing well at Middlesbrough before his injury, as was Owen Beck at Blackburn. Calum Scanlon showed signs of promise at Millwall, Stefan Bajcetic built up his durability at Las Palmas and Luca Stephenson featured heavily for Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership. Other players who have spent periods on loan this season include Fabian Mrozek, Luke Chambers, Kaide Gordon and Calvin Ramsay. For most of those players, the experience will benefit the club in the future. Had Liverpool kept some of them around, the development league tables might have looked rather different. But while results need to improve next campaign, nobody at the club is losing sight of the bigger picture.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liverpool confirms summer pre-season tour plans with AC Milan fixture announced
Liverpool has confirmed its plans for this summer's pre-season tour, with the Reds set to face AC Milan in Hong Kong before traveling to Japan. It's the first time Liverpool have played in Japan during the summer months, although Rafael Benitez's side famously played in the 2005 World Club Championship final in Yokohama. The Reds will face Milan on Saturday July 26 at the newly opened Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong before the squad flies to Japan, with the fixtures for that leg of the tour yet to be confirmed. READ MORE: Forgotten Liverpool midfielder scores and Rio Ngumoha assists in friendly win READ MORE: 3 alternatives to Alexander Isak transfer as Liverpool hit with $194M price tag "We're extremely excited to be returning to Asia for this summer's pre-season tour," Ben Latty, Liverpool's chief commercial officer said in a statement. "We look forward to bringing our hundreds of millions of fans in Asia closer to the club they love." The fixture takes place 20 years on from the Reds' famous Champions League final win over Milan, while Arne Slot's 2024/25 iteration won 3-1 at the San Siro earlier this season in a Champions League meeting between the clubs, when Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai scored. In announcing the news, Liverpool added via its website: "While in Asia, the club will also take part in a number of key local community projects and cultural activities, as well as hosting a number of supporter events with club legends." Wataru Endo, the Japan captain, is likely to play a central role in the club's marketing campaign around the tour of Japan, despite playing a minimal role in the club's 2024/25 campaign. This summer's pre-season plans for Premier League clubs have been impacted by the expanded Club World Cup, which will be held in the USA. Manchester City and Chelsea will be the English representatives in the lucrative competition, with the winners set to earn up to $125 million and $1 billion to be shared among the 32 sides at the competition. The rest of the top-flight clubs have begun making plans for this summer with Manchester United confirming it will play in this summer's Premier League's Summer Series, along with West Ham United, Bournemouth and Everton. The rest of the top-flight clubs should announced plans in the coming weeks and months. Liverpool played in the States last year in pre-season when it played Real Betis, Arsenal and United. The Reds last played in the US in Hong Kong in 2017 when they faced Crystal Palace and Leicester City.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liverpool suffers semi-final heartbreak as Rio Ngumoha quiet and summer signing offers glimpse
Liverpool U18s have crashed out of the U18 Premier League Cup at the semi-final stage, losing 3-0 at home to Reading. Rio Ngumoha was involved in the game but the Reds couldn't ever get a proper footing. Reading crashed a shot against the bar in the first half and Ngumoha twisted and turned past his marker before lifting a shot over the top from close range — albeit on an angle — but the first half was limited in terms of chances. It was tight and there were more foul throws than genuine opportunities to break the deadlock. Joe Bradshaw, playing on the right wing for Liverpool, has scored 13 times so far this season. Here, though, he didn't have much in the way of an opportunity. Likewise, Josh Sonnie-Lambie, playing as the Liverpool number nine, was isolated. READ MORE: Luis Enrique warns PSG is in 'best moment' as Anfield claims rejected ahead of Liverpool tie READ MORE: Mohamed Salah 'wanted to leave Liverpool due to Jurgen Klopp' but stayed because of Arne Slot George Booth, on the hour mark, scored the first goal of the game when the ball dropped for him to shoot. A low effort deflected amid a crowd of bodies and crept into the corner of Kornel Miscuir's goal. A few minutes later, the Reading lead was doubled through Emmanuel Osho. When the ball was pulled back to the visiting number nine inside the penalty area, he smashed a shot into the top corner. Amara Nallo, who scored an own-goal last weekend and was sent off minutes into his senior debut against PSV in the Champions League, had already been booked for hauling back Kiyan Coke-Miles-Smith. That was at 0-0, and two goals later, he conceded a penalty kick for a trip, which Coke-Miles-Smith converted. He did, though, avoid a second booking. Alvin Ayman, signed from Wolves last summer, impressed with his technical ability in the center of the field, but his influence waned a little in the second half. He signed his first professional contract at Anfield just a few weeks ago and has become a thriving midfielder having played at full-back earlier in his career. Teenage talent Trey Nyoni has dropped down into the U18 age group at times in this tournament, but he was selected for the first-team trip to PSG in the Champions League, so wasn't involved here. Without him, Ayman did well to dribble out of tight spaces under pressure, but Reading slowly grew more and more in control. Liverpool had lost its last four games in a row in this age group heading into the fixture. It has now crashed out of the cup with a scoreline that looked unlikely at half-time, with Reading taking on West Ham United in the final.
New York Times
07-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Liverpool add Rio Ngumoha to Champions League squad for knockout phase
Liverpool have added Rio Ngumoha to their Champions League squad for the knockout stages of this season's competition. The 16-year-old winger was not eligible for the league phase as he waited for the paperwork to be completed following his move from Chelsea. However, with clubs permitted to make three changes to their squads before the knockout stages, Liverpool have taken the opportunity to add Ngumoha to their List A of players. Advertisement The England youth international replaces midfielder Tom Hill, who recently completed a permanent move to Harrogate Town. At the age of 16 years and 135 days, Ngumoha became the youngest Liverpool player in the club's history to start a game when he made his senior debut against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup last month. Head coach Arne Slot, who was delighted with his impact, said: 'Every time when he comes training with us we see what his qualities are. He can dominate one-v-one situations, he is very quick on his feet, he can change directions really fast. 'I'm always happy if a player makes his debut that he shows what we see on the training ground. I think the fans liked what they saw.' Ngumoha has to be named on the List A rather than the List B for under-21 players as he has been at Liverpool for fewer than two years. Liverpool finished top of the league phase with seven wins out of eight. They will discover on February 21 who they will face in the last 16. Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica, Monaco and Brest are their possible opponents and Slot's side are guaranteed home advantage for the second leg. GO DEEPER Ngumoha, Chiesa and a tale of two wingers hoping to make a Liverpool impact ()
