Arne Slot calls up academy 'all-rounder' as he adopts new approach to Liverpool youngsters
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Throughout his 18 months as Liverpool head coach, Arne Slot has faced question marks over his use of the Reds’ academy.Unlike Jurgen Klopp before him, the Dutchman has been hesitant to throw Liverpool’s youngsters in, preferring to work with a small group of first team players.This has not just been evident on matchdays, but has also extended to training as well, where it is rare to see some of the Reds’ talented prospects join in with the senior squad.Join our newsletter for news & smart analysis. I know when they lost at Plymouth, Slot was furious with Chiesa.”Lewis Steele on Federico ChiesaCredit: Sebastian Frej/Getty Images 👇 Join the debate; share your insight.
Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha have embedded themselves within the group, but other than that talented pair, Slot has mostly chosen to ignore the Liverpool academy.That appears to be changing slowly, however. Calvin Ramsay has re-emerged onto the scene recently and as seen in Liverpool‘s pre-Tottenham training, Slot has also given Tommy Pilling and Kieran Morrison the chance to impress him at the AXA Training Centre.Tommy Pilling and Kieran Morrison given their chanceAlthough many supporters would love to see Slot make use of the academy far more, his approach does mean that youngsters have to really earn that chance to train with the stars.This arguably makes first team call-ups even more meaningful.
They certainly do not happen by accident.Photo by Nikki Dyer – LFC/Liverpool FC via Getty ImagesREAD MORE: Liverpool’s predicted XI vs Tottenham as Reds look to ‘special’ star in place of Dominik SzoboszlaiAs seen during Friday’s ‘Inside Training’ episode on LFCTV, both Pilling and Morrison were fully involved as Liverpool were put through their paces ahead of the Spurs game on Saturday.Pilling even ended up on the winning team, included in a victorious picture at the end of the session alongside the likes of Florian Wirtz, Ryan Gravenberch, Alisson Becker and even Ramsay.A 21-year-old midfielder, Pilling will potentially be eyeing next month’s FA Cup clash with Barnsley to make his official Liverpool debut. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say Who is Tommy Pilling?As surprising as it was to see him taking part in Friday’s session, this was not the first time Pilling has been involved under Slot.The youngster played 25 minutes during August’s pre-season friendly against Athletic Bilbao and was also named on the bench for September’s Carabao Cup tie with Southampton.However, despite being at the academy since the age of five, many Liverpool supporters will be unfamiliar with Pilling.As he described to Liverpoolfc.com in October, he is a versatile midfielder whose great-grandfather actually represented the Reds 118 times during the 1940s.“Midfield is my main position, so I’d like to say I’m composed, creative,” Pilling said.