Nice quotes from Beale in the Echo:
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/liverpool-u21s-boss-michael-beale-9181044?. The more I read about him, the more and more I like him.
Liverpool U21s boss Michael Beale: 'I'd take one more first team debut this season over winning this league'Liverpool U21s manager Michael Beale watched his team briefly go top of the Premier League table – and insisted he’d swap any title for one more first team debut from his young charges this season.
The Reds overcame a 1-0 half-time deficit against a powerful Leicester side thanks to second half goals from centre-half Dan Cleary and captain Cameron Brannagan at Chester’s Swansway Stadium.
It moved them briefly a point clear of Manchester United at the top of the table - though their rivals took the position back on Monday evening with a narrow 1-0 win against Southampton - and provided a slice of revenge for the 3-1 defeat at the King Power stadium a few weeks ago.
But the Reds boss was as consistent as ever in concentrating on developing his players towards the first team over anything the league race may bring, with games away at Chelsea on Thursday and Norwich at Anfield next Monday completing the league campaign.
Beale told the ECHO: “It’s more important that we managed to solve a problem at half-time where they were bigger and stronger and their style of play was really affecting us.
“We’ve got to not get carried away with the league here, these are development games and I’d be underselling the players if I just focused so much on the results because I haven’t been all season.
“That was the chat at half-time really: ‘You seem too focused on the result and tense and I just want you to play the way we work every day’ and that’s a big lesson for them today.
“For us it is about development. If you could give me one more debut between now and the end of the season or winning this league, I’d take the debut every time because that’s what this team’s about.
“Every game we play, yes we’ve got a game plan to win and do well but that cannot override us getting a player in the first team. That’s ultimately what this team’s about.”
Liverpool were in debt to their goalkeeper Danny Ward for some superb first half saves to keep the deficit down to one at the break and Beale had nothing but praise for his keeper, who was a first team substitute for 19 games as Brad Jones recovered from injury earlier this season.
“I was just pleased with the second half, I thought that was more like the team which you would want to play against Chelsea and the sort of style you want,” he said.
“Danny Ward hasn’t been in action recently and he came in and make three or four excellent saves first half. We’ve not had too many games where we’ve had to rely on our goalkeeper and it was a time for him to come in and showcase himself today.
“We’ve had other games where it was all about the wide players or the midfielders and today was about Danny Ward a little bit so I’m really pleased for him.”
With so much at stake, it was a disappointingly subdued Reds for the first half of the match and Beale needed to remind his team of what was expected at half-time.
“We didn’t change shape at half-time, I think we changed mentality.
“We weren’t happy with the way the game was going, we didn’t feel that that’s going to be enough to get a player out of this group and into the first team. They were underselling themselves, we said, and they had to be brave and play in the style we wanted, even if it meant we lost this game.
“We had to show a different style in the second half and we did. I thought players came into the games a lot better.
“I thought Sheyi (Ojo) and Ryan Kent as the game went on got more space, the same with Harry Wilson before he came off, and Jerome (Sinclair) who hasn’t played in a long time coming in and starting,”
Liverpool now travel to play Chelsea at Aldershot on Thursday night for what will be a heavyweight encounter against a youth set-up which has carried all before it this year with Beale himself returning to his former club.
He said: “We had a really good night at Chelsea last year, there was 5,000 there and it was a particularly good game and a night we’re proud of, with Jack Dunn scoring the winner.
“They are fighting for the league themselves, they’re U19 European champions, holders of the U21 league, FA Youth Cup winners, them boys have won everything.
“It’s another test and I’ve got a lot of friends in that camp but it won’t make any difference on Thursday.”
