It has been a pretty bleak season so far for Liverpool's reserves. Four defeats in a row have been quite hard to take for the side that only lost once last season. Players who this time last year were being pushed as potential first team material – Stephen Darby, Miguel San Jose, Damien Plessis, Jay Spearing and even Daniel Pacheco – have been under-performing no matter what Gary Ablett tries to do. Click to continue reading...

Games with Chelsea tend to be quite memorable and hyped up. Little, however, was made of the most recent encounter between the two clubs. Admittedly it was the two sides' reserve teams that met yet, given that they play in different sections of the league, it was an unusual encounter nevertheless.

It may still turn out to be a memorable one, however, as the friendly featured the first reserve team appearance of Lauri Della Valle. Click to continue reading...

Given the high percentage of foreign players coming into the English game each season, it is to be expected that a fair share of them arrive as unknowns. What usually happens is that once attention about a player is heightened by the knowledge that he is going to move to England, information about his abilities (or lack of) starts trickling through.

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Excuse our indifference but we've been through this before.

No matter how hyped up the transfer of David N'Gog is, it is hard to get excited. Any flattery lavished on the French sounds far too similar to the praise devoted to the likes of Anthony Le Tallec and Florent Sinama Pongolle before they joined. Click to continue reading...

When your club is linked with a Brazilian, you're bound to hope that it is with a midfielder or a striker, such is that country's tradition. Learning that the player involved is a goalkeeper is therefore always likely to be a disappointment. The likes of Julio Cesar (Inter) Heurelio Gomez (PSV / Tottenham) and Doni (Roma) may have made their mark as excellent goalkeepers but the bias remains. Click to continue reading...

This is a frustrating time to form part of Liverpool's reserve squad. Two FA Youth cup successes in a row and the national reserves title won with remarkable ease yet not one of the players seem to be anywhere near forming part of the senior team next season.

True Emiliano Insua and Damien Plessis did make it into the side towards the end of the season but those were exceptional circumstances where there was little to play for. Click to continue reading...

Verona fans still can't believe it. Not that their team is in the Serie C1 – although there is a lot of incredulity there as well – but rather that Andrea Dossena has become so good.

Often when a local player, particularly one who had come through the ranks to establish himself in the first team, gets to move on this is coupled by expressions of sadness and disappointment. Click to continue reading...

Verona fans still can't believe it. Not that their team is in the Serie C1 – although there is a lot of incredulity there as well – but rather that Andrea Dossena has become so good.

Often when a local player, particularly one who had come through the ranks to establish himself in the first team, gets to move on this is coupled by expressions of sadness and disappointment. Click to continue reading...

There's no doubting who Liverpool's star player in the reserves was the past season. With the passing of every game Krisitian Nemeth has been winning over more supporters both for his instinctive finishing and for his impressive natural ability with the ball.

Yet for all his accomplishments, Nemeth isn't the most talented striker in the reserves squad. Click to continue reading...

Life has just gotten more complicated for young talented Argentine forwards. For years they've had to cope with the pressure of being likened with Diego Armando Maradona, now there's also the shadow of Lionel Messi hanging over them.

The latter was the tag attached to Gerardo Bruna when he decided to swap Madrid to Merseyside last summer. Click to continue reading...

Much of the attention surrounding Liverpool's reserve team has centred around the side's attacking players. It is the likes of Kristian Nemeth, Jay Spearing and Damien Plessis. Any interest in the back line has normally focused on Emiliano Insua, the Argentine left-back that many feel is ready for Premier League football. Click to continue reading...

It has been the recurrent theme of Liverpool's reserve season, the question asked after each game: is Krisztian Nemeth ready to play for the first team?

The Hungarian striker has certainly made an impact since his arrival from MTK Hungaria in the summer. Exceptional with the ball at his feet, great awareness of what is going on around him and, above all, an innate scoring ability have often made him the stand-out player in a side that contains a number of players who look capable of making it at the highest level. Click to continue reading...