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Rodgers points finger after Reds are dumped out of the FA Cup by Oldham
By CARL MARKHAM, PRESS ASSOCIATION
PUBLISHED: 18:08 EST, 27 January 2013 | UPDATED: 18:08 EST, 27 January 2013
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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers pointed the finger at the young players in his team after they were knocked out of the FA Cup by League One Oldham.
The Reds were hardly in the game during the first half and trailed 2-1 and although the arrival of captain Steven Gerrard just before the hour-mark changed the momentum he could not produce another miraculous recovery.
Rodgers had made six changes from the team which demolished Norwich 5-0 last weekend but tellingly he left experienced players like Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Lucas Leiva and Stewart Downing on the bench.
Not happy: Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers (left) has pointed his finger at the young players he picked for Liverpool's game with Oldham
Three changes were made to the back four - although it still had Slovakia international Martin Skrtel at its heart - and they looked helpless to stop Matt Smith scoring twice in the opening 45 minutes.
Rodgers said he wanted to give younger players experience - only Skrtel, Suarez and goalkeeper Brad Jones were aged over 23 - but when the result went against them it was them he criticised.
'We are bitterly disappointed. We started the first half poorly and we started the second half and got punished,' he said.
'We've got a big week of games but our mentality in that opening period was poor and it ended up costing us.
Celebrations: Oldham's two-goal hero Matt Smith (left) celebrates with Cliff Byrne after a hard-fought win
'I was disappointed with the young players today I've got to be honest.
'We are trying to give them experience and let them see what it was like to play for Liverpool.
'It is not just about playing for Liverpool, you have to be competitive and be part of a group that is going to challenge for trophies.
'I thought how we reacted to that and how we performed, knowing that is what we are looking for, was disappointing.
'It is not enough to play for Liverpool and get up for the Arsenal and Manchester City games because if we are going to win trophies you need to be able to come to places like Oldham and win and we weren't good enough for that.
'We were just too much on the back foot early on, you really have to be aggressive.
'These are different games to the Premier League: Premier League games are nice, you go in and teams will pass the ball and give you time to get your shape.
All change: Sebastian Coates (left) was one of three changes made to Liverpool's defence
'These games are a different type of football, you have to roll your sleeves up be strong and aggressive and unfortunately for us there were too many who were.
'It is just a different type of football where you have to stand up and be counted.
'It is great to put young players in but you have to have personality and the young players disappointed.'
Asked whether younger players were too cocooned in a Premier League environment Rodgers replied: 'They will never get comfortable, you can't be comfortable at Liverpool and they are never allowed to be.'
A couple of weeks ago, after an insipid first half in defeat at Manchester United, Rodgers rejected suggestions his side lacked - or needed - more of a competitive edge.
Dominated: Smithdominated the Liverpool centre-back pairing of Coates and Martin Skrtle
The way Smith dominated the defence in the first half said otherwise but Rodgers said problems were deeper than that.
'It was across the board, we didn't press them well enough from the front,' he added.
'You have to stop the ball at source. The ball comes into the big guy (Smith) but you have opportunities to stop it before it does and the second goal we never tracked the runner.
'The full-back goes forward and gets the cross in. We talked about that at half-time and within five or six minutes of the second half the same full-back scores with a header.'
Failed charges: Players such as Daniel Sturridge (second left) failed to fire Liverpool past Oldham
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By CARL MARKHAM, PRESS ASSOCIATION
PUBLISHED: 18:08 EST, 27 January 2013 | UPDATED: 18:08 EST, 27 January 2013
Comments (0)
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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers pointed the finger at the young players in his team after they were knocked out of the FA Cup by League One Oldham.
The Reds were hardly in the game during the first half and trailed 2-1 and although the arrival of captain Steven Gerrard just before the hour-mark changed the momentum he could not produce another miraculous recovery.
Rodgers had made six changes from the team which demolished Norwich 5-0 last weekend but tellingly he left experienced players like Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Lucas Leiva and Stewart Downing on the bench.
Not happy: Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers (left) has pointed his finger at the young players he picked for Liverpool's game with Oldham
Three changes were made to the back four - although it still had Slovakia international Martin Skrtel at its heart - and they looked helpless to stop Matt Smith scoring twice in the opening 45 minutes.
Rodgers said he wanted to give younger players experience - only Skrtel, Suarez and goalkeeper Brad Jones were aged over 23 - but when the result went against them it was them he criticised.
'We are bitterly disappointed. We started the first half poorly and we started the second half and got punished,' he said.
'We've got a big week of games but our mentality in that opening period was poor and it ended up costing us.
Celebrations: Oldham's two-goal hero Matt Smith (left) celebrates with Cliff Byrne after a hard-fought win
'I was disappointed with the young players today I've got to be honest.
'We are trying to give them experience and let them see what it was like to play for Liverpool.
'It is not just about playing for Liverpool, you have to be competitive and be part of a group that is going to challenge for trophies.
'I thought how we reacted to that and how we performed, knowing that is what we are looking for, was disappointing.
'It is not enough to play for Liverpool and get up for the Arsenal and Manchester City games because if we are going to win trophies you need to be able to come to places like Oldham and win and we weren't good enough for that.
'We were just too much on the back foot early on, you really have to be aggressive.
'These are different games to the Premier League: Premier League games are nice, you go in and teams will pass the ball and give you time to get your shape.
All change: Sebastian Coates (left) was one of three changes made to Liverpool's defence
'These games are a different type of football, you have to roll your sleeves up be strong and aggressive and unfortunately for us there were too many who were.
'It is just a different type of football where you have to stand up and be counted.
'It is great to put young players in but you have to have personality and the young players disappointed.'
Asked whether younger players were too cocooned in a Premier League environment Rodgers replied: 'They will never get comfortable, you can't be comfortable at Liverpool and they are never allowed to be.'
A couple of weeks ago, after an insipid first half in defeat at Manchester United, Rodgers rejected suggestions his side lacked - or needed - more of a competitive edge.
Dominated: Smithdominated the Liverpool centre-back pairing of Coates and Martin Skrtle
The way Smith dominated the defence in the first half said otherwise but Rodgers said problems were deeper than that.
'It was across the board, we didn't press them well enough from the front,' he added.
'You have to stop the ball at source. The ball comes into the big guy (Smith) but you have opportunities to stop it before it does and the second goal we never tracked the runner.
'The full-back goes forward and gets the cross in. We talked about that at half-time and within five or six minutes of the second half the same full-back scores with a header.'
Failed charges: Players such as Daniel Sturridge (second left) failed to fire Liverpool past Oldham
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...#ixzz2JE3Lf2Hz
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