Liverpool U21s head coach Rob Page has spoken after the EFL Trophy clash at Huddersfield Town on Tuesday evening
Liverpool U21s head coach Rob Page
Liverpool U21s head coach Rob Page(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
View 2 Images
Liverpool under-21s head coach Rob Page has questioned the scheduling that contributed to his team suffering a disappointing end to an otherwise encouraging EFL Trophy campaign.
The young Reds were beaten 4-0 at League One leaders Huddersfield Town on Tuesday evening to finish third in Group H.
While the Terriers were able to field an almost full-strength team, Liverpool were without a number of key players due to international commitments.
Top scorer Will Wright had a first call-up from England U19s, defender Prince Cisse was with Wales U19s while attacking midfielder Erik Farkas is part of the England U18s set-up.
Liverpool's previous two games in the EFL Trophy this season - the penalty shoot-out triumph at Rochdale and the narrow loss to Doncaster Rovers - were both arranged in the extended international break earlier in the season.
And Page said: "It's like we are fighting with one arm tied behind our back. I understand the principle of playing in this competition. We want to expose our lads to league opposition, but give us our best players.
"We have a couple of players on international duty who could have helped the team.
"Putting the game in the international window doesn't make sense to me. It's so frustrating. And that's why I'll never have a go at the lads who played, some of those Huddersfield players have been playing league football for years, they had one of the top scorers in League One playing.
"We're being asked to go out and have a level fight, but it's not even."
Liverpool knew beforehand they couldn't qualify for the knockout stages and would finish third in the four-team group with Huddersfield top.
The hosts were ahead after just 43 seconds through League One's second-top scorer Joe Taylor and were 3-0 up by the interval, although Liverpool were improved after the interval and were close to scoring through Josh Sonni-Lambie and Luke Chambers.
HUDDERSFIELD, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 10: Josh Sonni-Lambie of Liverpool FC U21 during the Jersey Mike's Trophy match between Huddersfield Town and Liverpool U21 at Accu Stadium on November 10, 2026 in Huddersfield, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
Josh Sonni-Lambie during the Jersey Mike's Trophy match between Huddersfield Town and Liverpool U21 at Accu Stadium on November 10, 2026(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
View 2 Images
"I thought there were a lot of positives from the game," sad U21s head coach Page. "We were playing a team who are top of League One and had their strongest team they could play.
"I said to the players if they want to progress through and play league football, they have to have that ruthless mentality. The first 10 minutes are like a game a chess, and if we are going to hand them a goal inside 40 seconds like we did then it's going to make the game even harder.
"Huddersfield had about three opportunities in the first half and scored three goals. That's the ruthless mentality I keep drilling into the lads. They have to learn from it. They have to learn from being exposed to that ruthless mentality."
Page added: "The last third let us down a bit in the first half, second half we changed things slightly and I thought we took control of it. But they get an opportunity, ruthless, goal.
"It's great learnings for the players and that's why we are in this competition. We want them to expose them to players like that at the top of League One.
"The manner of the defeat I will accept because our work-rate was incredible. We need to be a bit more streetwise and that will make us better as a team and individuals. We just got beaten by a better team, and that's okay."
Full-back Clae Ewing emerged from the bench in the second half for this first outing since April, with Page keen to arrange more matches over the coming two months in which the U21s have only two scheduled Premier League 2 fixtures.
"We need friendlies because people like Clae need to build on the minutes he has just got, some of the squad players need to get minutes," he said.
"We have the UEFA Youth League games where 18s and 21s play, we have Paris FC coming up in December as well in a friendly, but we will need to arrange a couple more friendlies to keep the momentum."