Irrelevant of which side of the fence you chose to perch during the ‘˜flooding of the Reserves’ debate, there is no doubting, with the number of players fast-tracked to our reserve side, that it is tough times at Kirkby at the minute, if you are trying to break into the set-up at Melwood.

Certainly, whether you choose to believe that buying an elite group of young players from all over the World ensures that only the cream rises (as depicted very nicely up in North London), or if you decide like Brian Reade (columnist for the Mirror) that;

‘œ’¦ There is a war raging between Melwood and the Academy, which is very disturbing, mainly because it is stopping local lads coming through. Lads who, unlike half the team on Wednesday [12/11/08, vs. Tottenham in the Carling Cup], know what it means to pull on a red shirt’

It is an argument that could rumble on forever, and to be honest it already feels like it has been longer than that. One thing even the most blue in the face (on either side of the debate) could not dispute, however; it is becoming increasingly difficult for ‘˜the next’ Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman, Jamie Carragher or Steven Gerrard to make that step-up.

A player who makes up a quarter of the mere 14.3% of reserve team members ‘˜born and bred’ within the Merseyside boundaries is captain Stephen Darby (pictured above in the pre-season friendly vs. Hertha BSC Berlin).

Despite coming from a family whose hearts lay on the other side of Stanley Park (although he’d have you believe he’s always shunned their evil ways), Stephen was signed to the Liverpool Academy at Under-9 level by Steve Heighway (who played a major role in all of the afore mentioned players rise to legendary status) and has never looked back.

A decade later and despite not yet earning a first team start, this career already has the taste for silverware generously laden upon its young lips.

In 2006 a stunning 3-0 win at Anfield was enough to overcome a brave Manchester City comeback in the second leg, to win the FA Youth Cup 3-2 on aggregate. Darby (pictured below lifting the trophy) was the team captain that season, and played out of his skin in his natural right-back position in both games. It was the first time Liverpool had won the trophy since 1996, when none other than Jamie Carragher played in the fullback slot, while a very young Michael Owen kept the bench warm.

Twelve months further on, and the increasingly skilled fullback was repeating the accomplishment, this time against the red half of Manchester. Liverpool this time round had to go to Old Trafford in the second leg, trailing 1-2, Darby (shown with the lads after winning penalty is converted) showed his versatility starting the game at centre back, and held out to keep a clean sheet against a United attack lead by Danny Welbeck. A young Liverpool side showed great character on the day, and Robbie Threlfall made up for his own goal in the first leg by scoring the only goal of open play, and then netting the winning penalty. Making Liverpool the first team to lift back-to-back FA Youth Cups since an Arsenal side consisting of Steve Sidwell, Jérémie Aliadière, Justin Hoyte, and Jermaine Pennant et alii.

During the course of these two memorable victories, Stephen earned himself a regular place in the Melwood set-up under new gaffer Garry Ablett. Taking the opportunity with two grateful hands, he put in some very solid performances despite being only seventeen and in no time found himself as the skipper of the Reserve side.

In March of 2008, the reserves flew out to compete in the (apparently) prestigious Dallas Youth Cup, in which they slaughtered everything that dared stand up against them, and thus recieved their first bit of silverware under Darby’s captaincy.

They didn’t have to wait long for the next piece however, as after romping to the Premier Reserve League North title by a clear thirteen points from just eighteen games they then took apart a strong Aston Villa side by three goals to nil to become National Champions for the first time since its conception.

Darby (shown below with the trophy) again played the full game, leading players with first team and international experience, with the assurance and intellect of a man of twice his age. Commenting on that game, This Is Anfield’s Broomy also seemed impressed:

‘œ’¦ think back to his man of the match performance against Aston Villa in the Reserve play off final where he faced experienced Premier League calibre of Shaun Maloney and Wayne Routledge but neither were able to get past the Liverpool skipper, he denied both players time and time again with a series of impeccably timed tackles’

However, as with all young players the Ultimate goal is to break into the first team and Stephen (who during his time with the reserves has been given the nickname ‘œsteady-Eddie’) has begun making strong inroads towards this goal already. At the age of just eighteen, he achieved a call-up to the first team squad for the 2006 Champions League game against Galatasaray S.K.

He had to wait a while for his taste of first team action, but made his first appearance in a competitive match as a substitute in Liverpool’s League Cup fourth round defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on November 12, 2008. Shortly after, he also popped his Champions League cherry, against P.S.V. Eindhoven in December, again appearing from the bench.

Stephen has been on the fringes of the first team since then, and played a major part in our last pre-season campaign, where his performances during eight outings earned the praise of boyhood hero Jamie Carragher. Speaking to liverpoolfc.tv Stephen commented “I was on holiday in America with my girlfriend and I got a phone call saying I’d be with the first team in pre-season. My stomach sank because I was nervous and excited. I couldn’t wait to get back,” said Darby;

“You learn so much, especially on the tactical side of your game. For me as a defender, working with people like Jamie and Sami Hyypia is unbelievable. It was great to hear what Jamie was saying about me, but you have to keep your feet on the ground. My family, friends and the people here help to do that. There is still a lot to improve on ‘“ you can always improve your game. At the moment I think I need to work on my strength. At the end of the day, I would swap 100 pre-season games for one in a competitive match with the first team. That’s what I dream about.”

This rapid progress onto the fringes of the first team earned him the ‘˜Ian Frodsham Young Player Of The Year Award 2008′ in recognition of both the progress he has made on the pitch during the those 12 months and the excellent way he continues to conduct himself off it.

In addition, during those 12 months, Darby was warranted a place in England’s squad for U.E.F.A. European U19 Championship qualifications alongside Liverpool teammates Jack Hobbs, Craig Lindfield and Adam Hammill.

On the pitch, Stephen is a mix between an old-fashioned fullback, who can tuck in and cover for the centre halves when the team is under the cosh, and a modern full back, which is willing overlap the winger and put balls into the box.

However, those attacking techniques, such as crossing, threading passes, and shooting are some of the skills that Stephen will have to train hard at if he is ever to become Liverpool’s first choice No. 2. However, ‘˜Broomy2′ believes the boy is brimming with potential:

‘œYou always know what you are going to get with Darby. He is always worth a ‘˜seven’ in the match ratings. Captaining the Reserve team to both Regional and National titles last year, Darby showed great leadership qualities clever distribution of the ball coupled with clever positional sense. Darby is less heralded than Insúa but if called upon, I am sure he would step into the first team unfazed. When he stepped up the first team during our pre-season campaign, Darby showed the ability and self-belief needed to succeed at Liverpool. Its easy to make parallels between Darby and former Red Steve Finnan, however, there are a few areas of the pitch needs to improve on, going forward is one area Benitez will be looking to see Darby improve on.

Many have commented on Stephen’s slight build, an area that he has strived to improve on this season but he has showed he is more than capable of holding his own. He impressed in the 10 minutes he got at Tottenham and also when he came off the bench against PSV in December, he looked comfortable and put in steady displays, showing he will not be overawed if called upon to step into Benitez’s first team 11, if and when first team chances come along”.

TIA’s ‘˜Kid Viravax’ believes there are comparisons to be drawn between Stephen and vice-captain Jamie Carragher:

‘œI like to think of Stephen Derby as a ‘Future Carragher’. Every match i have seen him play for the reserves, and his limited time he has graced the first team, he has always given a performance similar to that of Carragher – never the most technically gifted but unrivalled in making the decision, going in for that last-ditch tackle and not stopping until the 90 minutes are over.

Similar to Jamie, he always manages to be missed out when people come to think of the greatest in that generation, but there is always going to be the same question hanging over his head – “Would he be so good if he didn’t play for HIS club?’ It’s a tough question to answer, but either way Carragher’s game is raised to the next level because he cares so much about the team he is in, and Derby is exactly the same’

Similarly, to Carragher, Stephen’s pace and acceleration are slightly lacking too, when compared to the current breed of en vogue fullbacks being brought to the Premier League.

I am sure however, if you pulled Stephen up on this, he would quote the great Johan Cruyff ‘œwhen you see a player sprinting on the pitch, he left too late’. Because Darby’s greatest asset on the pitch is the mental edge he seems to have over the opponent, his reading and knowledge of the game is simply exceptional for a boy of his age. TIA forum member ‘˜Zoky’ agrees the mental side of Stephen’s game is his main strength:

‘œI think Stephen is professionally a real example to all the young players we have at the club. I love watching interviews, trying to see something in those lads and try to, and I love what I see in Stephen when he talks. Dedication, concentration, knows a lot about the club, and very cool-headed. You can see why he is the captain; he does things the Liverpool way. Being a player he is, it is simple that he was made to be a right back, and that is probably the position he’s played all his career so far.

Although he might be a bit weak, he gets stuck in, but what I like about him is that he doesn’t allow to let the game take him out of control. He likes to wait for the opponent to make his first move, and with a good sense of reading the game, very good footwork (also when going backwards), he simply doesn’t let the winger to drive him crazy.’

Having recently signed a new contract (along with midfielder Jay Spearing), Rafa clearly has first-team plans for young Stephen Darby, and being my favourite reserve team player, I for one think he is ready to make that step now.

What do you think? Does Stephen Darby have what it takes to be a future KopStar? Let us know in the comments below.

Thanks To: Matt, Broomy2, Kid Viravax, Aero and Zoky.

The Reserves’ season has came to a close on Thursday night after a magnificent 5-1 victory over Newcastle. The result means Gary Ablett’s side will not finish bottom of the Barclay’s Reserves Premier League North this season. Also in the last month, Conor Coady represented Liverpool as he helped England U16’s successfully defend their title as champions of the Montaigu Tournament, beating Germany in the Final in France.

The Liverpool Reserves started the month of April at the bottom of Barclays Premier Reserve North League and began with a 2-0 defeat to Sunderland at the Halliwell Jones Stadium in Warrington. Godwin Antwi returned to the starting line up after his loan spell at Hereford United but ended the night with an unfortunate own goal. Daniel Pacheco and Jay Spearing were best on the night for Liverpool in front of a frustrated crowd.

The following game saw the young Reds face Blackburn Rovers and were on the verge of a second successive defeat until Brazilian Vitor Flora stepped off the bench to strike a late equaliser for a 1-1 draw. Liverpool were without Jay Spearing and Stephen Darby for the game. Man of the Match for the Reds was Dean Bouzanis who pulled off a string of quality saves to keep the Reds’ hopes alive while Liverpool had chances with Nemeth and Pacecho going close. Blackburn took the lead on 55 minutes when Carlos Villanueva fired in a low shot from 25 yards. But with five minutes left Brazilian striker Flora equalised after being set up by fellow substitute, Dalla Valle.

Liverpool then entertained Bolton Wanderers to a seven goal thriller. Gerardo Bruna had an impressive game but it was Jay Spearing who grabbed all the headlines. Reserve manager Gary Ablett singled out Jay for special praise after the midfielder scored a hat-trick during the reserves 4-3 defeat. The 20-year-old midfielder gave an inspirational display with a superb first-half treble but it was not enough to move Ablett’s men off the foot of the Premier Reserve League North table, as the Trotters came from behind on three occasions before snatching a winner two minutes from time.

The following game saw the reserves move off the bottom of the Barclays Premier Reserve League North courtesy of a 2-1 victory over Hull City at North Ferriby United FC. Goals from Damien Plessis and Gerardo Bruna sealed the win after Jamie Devitt had given the home side a first-half lead from the penalty spot. Robbie Threlfall was handed a start at left-back for his first reserve appearance of the season following his loan spell with Hereford United. Plessis returned to the centre of midfield while Ryan Crowther and Gary Mackay-Steven were also drafted into the starting line-up. Mikel San Jose had an impressive man of the match display at the back. After the game Gary Ablett commented;

“We went 1-0 down, but Damien Plessis came to the fore for us. He doesn’t score many, but when he does they are vital ones. I thought Andras Simon was magnificent working the line for us. He worked his socks off and all he was missing was a goal. I also think Plessis gave a very good, controlled performance for us in midfield alongside Jay Spearing. Those two were exceptional in what was a very good team performance.’

The following game saw Krisztian Nemeth strike a late winner as Liverpool Reserves secured the Senior Cup with a narrow 1-0 win over Waterloo Dock. Nemeth scored his first goal of 2009 to win the trophy after a superb move involving Gerardo Bruna and Vincent Weijl. Liverpool County Premier League champions Waterloo Dock gave a very good account of themselves and were unlucky not to score on the night. After the game Gary Ablett commented

“We weren’t great but we won and scored a very good goal. It was a decent passing move and Krisztian finished it well. I was pleased for Krisztian as he was unfortunate not to score before then. He keeps getting in there and he got his reward. He’s missed so much football this season through injury, and just as he’s starting to look sharp again unfortunately the season is coming to an end.”

Argentine starlet Bruna also had an impressive game in a role just behind Nemeth and was at the heart of the Reds best moves in the second half. “I thought Gerardo did very well. We were worried before the game whether some of our lads would have been able to cope physically but he came to the fore second half and showed his true worth to us.”

In the final game of the season for the Reserves, the Reds finished with an impressive 5-1 win over Newcastle Reserves to ensure a seventh-place finish as the Reds brought the curtain down on their second and possibly final season at The Halliwell Jones Stadium. Goals from Mikel San Jose, David Ngog, Damien Plessis and a brace from substitute Daniel Pacheco made sure Gary Ablett’s men signed off a rollercoaster campaign in style.

After only 11 minutes, David Ngog’s rasping 20-yard drive was touched on to the post and over the byline by Newcastle keeper Soderberg, San Jose scored with a great header from the resultant corner. David Ngog then made it 2-0 firing a low shot into the far corner. Gerard Bruna rattled the post with a stinging free kick that swung around a four-man wall in the 20th minute and Ngog had a second goal ruled out for offside three minutes later. Damien Plessis then made it 3-0 while Daniel Pacheco scored a brace to make it 5-1 to the Reds. Highly-rated Nikola Saric also made his Reds bow with an impressive cameo.

The Under 18’s began April with a 2-1 victory over Stoke City at the Academy with goals from Lauri Dalla Valle and Nathan Eccleston sealing the win. Liverpool went ahead after 10 minutes when Eccleston and then Adam Pepper combined for Finnish striker Dalla Valle to fire home his 15th goal of the season. Just over 10 minutes later Liverpool were 2-0 ahead when Thomas Ince ‘“ back after representing England under-17s ‘“ set up Eccleston to fire low past Stoke keeper Dave Parton from 20 yards. Liverpool were rampant at that stage and Dalla Valle saw one effort hit the post. Chris Oldfield also had a very good game in goal for the Reds.

The U18’s then travelled to Birmingham City for their first leg of the FA Youth Cup Semi Finals and enjoyed a glorious 3-0 win. Finnish ace Lauri Dalla Valle enhanced his glowing reputation with two poacher’s goals, while David Amoo’s picture-book strike was the highlight of an exciting display. Once again, David Amoo took the man of the match award, Bouzanis had a commanding game in goal, while Irwin, Buchtmann, Ayala and Kennedy all looked steady at the back while Wisdom, Amoo, Pepper, Dalla Valle, Ince, Eccleston all impressed.

The following week seen the return leg with Lauri Dalla Valle hitting a superb double as Liverpool surged into the final of the FA Youth Cup with a 3-1 victory over Birmingham City at Anfield. The prolific Finn struck a goal in each half with Alex Kacaniklic also on target as Hugh McAuley’s men followed up their first-leg triumph at St Andrews to claim a comfortable 6-1 win on aggregate.

Liverpool now play Arsenal in a two legged FA Youth Cup Final. The first leg will take place at the Emirates Stadium on Friday, May 22, at 8pm, while the return game at Anfield is on Tuesday, May 26 at 7.45pm.

Meanwhile, Sky Sports reported Jack Metcalf has joined Wolves. Metcalf linked up with Premier League-bound Wolves earlier this month on trial after leaving Liverpool’s Academy. A host of clubs expressed an interest in signing Metcalf after he left Anfield, but Wolves have won the race for his signature.

AT the age of 13, Plessis started his footballing career at the National Footballing Centers at Chatearoux. He then went on to join Lyon’s Youth Academy at the age of 15. Plessis impressed greatly with Lyon’s Youth team and with the Lyon Reserves team. The Lyon’s Reserve team was competing in the third tier of French Football (CFA). Plessis played 16 league games for the CFA side between 2005-07. But, he failed to make a competitive appearance for the first team.

In the Summer of 2007, Plessis found himself included in the U19 French squad that travelled to the 2007 UEFA U19 Championships in Austria. Plessis had a good tournament despite being sent off in their 1-1 draw with Germany in the opening round. Despite the sending off, Plessis helped France reach the semi finals to which they lost to a magnificent Spanish U19 team which included Liverpool’s reserve team player, Mikel San Jose. Spain eventually went on to win the European U19 Championship.

Plessis joined Liverpool on transfer deadline day in August 2007. The French U19 player penned a 3 year contract with the Reds. The young Frenchman was given the number 47 for the 2007/08 season. On securing his signature, Benitez commented: “He is a good player, big and strong, and we’re sure he will do well for us. He’s only a young boy with plenty of time to work on his game but it depends on his progress how quickly he can force his way into the team.”

Plessis began his Liverpool career in the Liverpool reserve ranks at Melwood. Plessis made his debut for the Reserves in their pre-season friendly against Crewe Alexandra on the 11th September 2007. All season he provided a superb shield in front of the two central defenders. Plessis featured in every game for the Liverpool Reserve league games last season and was instrumental in them winning the Barclays Reserves League. He became a key member of Gary Ablett’s side with his range of passing skills, composure on the ball and his clever positional sense. Plessis was beginning to show he had the physically and tackling to make him a future central midfield star.

His progress certainly didn’t go unnoticed by the Liverpool coaches. In April 2008, Plessis made his debut for the first team in the 1-1 draw against Arsenal. Damien’s inclusion in the first team at the Emirates Stadium came as a shock to many in all honesty, but the 20 year old played a blinder and was heralded as man of the match by many Liverpool websites. Up against the experienced duo of Cesc Fabergas and Gilberto, Plessis looked unfazed. He oozed composure to the point of comfortability, stroking the ball around and demonstrating his intelligence to bide his time and pick a pass. He looked composed on the ball with an 87% pass success rate.

Plessis in action against Birmingham

Benitez was also impressed after the Frenchman’s debut, “We knew when we signed him that he was a good player. He’s played really well for the Reserves and to play as well as he did today in this stadium, it shows we are going in the right direction.” 3 weeks later, Plessis was again called up for the game against Birmingham City. Plessis again had an impressive game, keeping possession and holding his own against a Birmingham side fighting for Premier League survival.

With all of Plessis’ impressive performances, there are however a few flaws to his game, but of course at his young age these flaws can be ironed out. One area of the pitch where he must improve on is his proficiency infront of goal. Plessis failed to make the back of the net last season, an area of the game which he must improve on this season. Another area of his game which has been well documented is he lacks a yard or two of pace. Apart from this, last season Plessis was one of the stand out players players for the Reserves last season, breaking up the opposition’s attacks and started his side moving forward.

During pre-season this year, speaking to L’Equipe about his expectation for the new season, Plessis commented ‘œI want to play, to play again, and to play as much as possible (laughs)! My plan is to perform well with my club in order to be called up again (with France Under-21). It’s up to me to do what it takes with Liverpool to carry on this way. The good thing with Rafael Benitez is that he doesn’t care whether a player is young or not. Everybody has equal chances.’

Factfile: Damien Plessis Date of birth: 5 March 1988 Place of birth: Neuville-aux-Bois, France Height: 6ft 3in Position: Holding Midfielder Signed from:: Lyon (Aug 2007) Debut: v Arsenal (a) 05.04.08 Squad Number: 28

Plessis featured in all of Liverpool’s first team pre-season games this season against Tranmere, Lucerne, Wisla Krakow, Hertha Berlin, Villareal, Glasgow Rangers, Valerenga, and Lazio. He then got his big chance to impress in the first team when Mascherano and Lucas were away on Olympic commitments at the start of the season. He started the Champions League qualifier with Standard Liege, protecting the defence well and keeping his passes simple.

He then got another chance in the following match in our 1-0 win over Sunderland. Plessis partnered Gerrard in the center of midfield but was replaced at half time. Although Rafa revealed after the game Plessis had picked up an injury, he failed to impress with the game seeming to pass him by, however, he did have an impressive amount of time on the ball and made quite a few good passes and a few good tackles as well.

After the Sunderland game, forum member Ulster Red wrote:

“Very few youngsters can come into a top team and shine and those who do are full of self belief as well as possessing an incredible talent. Whilst Plessis has not set the world alight, he has proved that he can cope at this level. He has come in, kept things simple and played to his strengths. Until he becomes totally comfortable in the Premier League environment, we are not going to see the best of him. As he matures, he will take more risks with his passing and express himself more.”

On 23 September 2008, Plessis also featured in the Carling Cup game against Crewe Alexandra. He scored his first senior goal for the club in the next round of the Carling Cup match against Tottenham Hotspur on the 12 November 2008. Damien Plessis headed home from Ryan Babel’s corner when Spurs keeper, Gomes struggled at a ball whipped into the box.

However, Plessis has failed to live up to the expectations put on him after last seasons Reserves remarkable campaign and many fans feel he has not reproduced last seasons form for the Reserves this season. Plessis must now step up to the challenge and show Rafa Benitez he is ready for the first team this year…

Has Rafa found a real gem coming through the reserve ranks in Plessis? Can Plessis become a future Kop Star at Anfield? Has he got the potential to stake a more permanent spot in the Liverpool first team? Let us know here.

Born October 2nd 1990, reserve team ‘˜keeper Dean Bouzanis is currently playing the rope in a cross continent game of tug-o-war (which explains his height, for a 18 year old!). Pulling for Oceania (or confusingly as their F.F.A. would have you believe, Asia) is the country of Dean’s birth; Australia, who are so desperate to attain his services between the sticks that they recently sent full national team coach Pim Verbeek all the way round the world to a Liverpool Reserve team match for a spot of persuasion.

And this is merely the tip of an ever escalating iceberg, the Aussie media are going ‘˜berko’ that they may loose their hottest prospect in years, whilst still seething from a similar incident in 2004, which saw Joey Didulica decide to don the Croatian shirt instead of the Socceroos’ famous green and gold.

Their version of the magazine FourFourTwo recently ran the headline ‘œStop Bouza’s Greek Tragedy’, in which former Socceroos’ ‘˜keeper, goalkeeping academy owner, and Sydney F.C. goalkeeping coach Jim Fraser claims ‘œ’¦the kid will be our [Australia's] best ever keeper in years to come. He is outstanding.’ Quite a big claim considering Australia’s recent history of No. 1’s, but Fraser goes on to justify his statement:

‘œI had him at Sydney FC before he went to Liverpool last year and he was like a sponge. I’d stand behind the goal and give him instructions but after a month that wasn’t needed. He had some rough edges and I think he was shocked at how fast the game was when he got to the club, but he has that X-factor as a ‘˜keeper. He totally believes in himself.’

Conversely, pulling in the opposite direction for Europe is Greece. Who Dean is at present ‘œhappily’ (according to Bouzanis himself) representing at Under 19’s level.

According to Bouzanis’ agent, Terry Palapanis, ‘œThe Greek FA keep flying over to Liverpool to watch his games and are in constant contact with Liverpool officials and me’, and the Greek’s contact with Liverpool could prove decisive, as it’s widely known that Rafael Benítez would prefer him to play for Greece rather than Australia due to the travel factor.

Until one of the two decides to call the young keeper up for some first team action, it seems Bouzanis will carry gaining as much experience with both of the set-ups as possible.

And in doing so, keeping both in limbo, ‘œAt this stage, yes, he will continue with the Greek U-19’s but he’s not going to make up his mind on who he plays for until a later date’, however when subsequently asked ‘œwho does Bouzanis want to play for: Greece or Australia?’ Palapanis gave a much more telling response:

‘œI’d say Australia, given the opportunity. But if he’s not given the opportunity, or if people here regard others better than him, he’ll probably play for Greece”

Factfile: DEAN BOUZANIS Position: Goalkeeper Former clubs: NSWIS Birth Place: Sydney, Australia Date of Birth: 2/10/1990 Height: 6ft 3

When you read some of the quotes from people within the game about Dean Bouzanis, it is no wonder the two national teams are doing battle for him. The Australian media have already dubbed him ‘˜the next Mark Bosnich’, which, to those who only saw the latter stages of Mark’s carrier, may not seem like a complement, but on his day Bosnich was as good as anyone (before Sophie Anderton and the cocaine…)

Slightly stranger (yes, even stranger than being compared to an ex-Manc / coke head) words of praise came from Terry Palapanis when he said, ‘œDean is a freak of a prospect’ before cementing my respect for him by observing, ‘œThere were twenty-two clubs from Europe chasing him’¦ but we chose Liverpool. It was too hard to refuse.’

Bouzanis himself came out and told the Australian media ‘œBenitez told me when I signed my contract that he regards me as the best under-20 ‘˜keeper in the world’. When you take into account that the lad was only sixteen at the time he signed, that is high praise indeed.

As you would expect from a lad with his level of talent, he is clearly not lacking in confidence, in the same interview he said ‘œI’ve signed a professional contract and I believe that within two or three years I’ll make the Liverpool firsts squad’.

Ludicrous, many will think. Although, this is a ‘˜keeper that has been punching above his weight his entire life; receiving his first call up to the Australian Under-17 side in 2005, at the tender age of fifteen, appearing three times for the Greek Under-19’s, and most impressively, an appearance for the Australian U-23 side, all this and he’s only just turned eighteen this month.

Bouzanis’ rise to fame began at local club Carss Park, where he was teammates with another young Australian / Greek with vast potential, Nikolas Tsattalios. The two became good friends at the club and eventually followed each other to the well-renowned New South Wales Institute of Sport.

NSWIS, located at Sydney Olympic Park, was established to ensure a high level of performance sports programs in Australia. The Institute can now boast 700 of Oceania’s greatest young sportsmen / athletes on twenty-eight sport programs. Whilst attending NSWIS, Dean had access to Australia’s finest in coaching and sports technology. I thought I would give it a special mention, as it is a fantastic establishment, and is beginning to churn out professionals at a similar rate to Claire-fontaine.

Upon graduation from NSWIS in 2007, Bouzanis was a hot property, and spent three weeks on trial with Liverpool F.C. first team squad, Rafael Benítez was sufficiently impressed to offer him a three-year deal. After signing which, he was immediately reunited with Nikolas Tsattalios, whist loaned out to Australian A-League outfit Sydney F.C. where was registered as part of the clubs Champions League squad.

On the 4th of December 2007, Dean made an impressive debut for the Liverpool Reserve team, keeping a clean sheet in the 3-0 demolition of Everton and has never looked back.

Throughout his time at these high-quality sporting teams and institutions, Dean has become a very astute goalkeeper for his age. Showing well-rounded ability, despite the occasional blunder – which is expected from young goalkeepers.

Primarily however, Dean is a shot stopper, like our Pepe Reina. Meaning he has cat like reflexes, positions himself well, whilst also being very brave and agile.

Previous Kop Stars: Issue 1: Lauri Dalla Valle Issue 2: Krisztian Nemeth Issue 3: Dani Pacheco Issue 4: Gerardo Bruna

His natural confidence also gives him great command of his area, by this I mean he comes and collects the ball to take pressure off defenders, and is vocal enough to let everyone around him know their jobs. Which I, as a centre-back myself, believe to be the most important aspect of a goalkeeper. He also has great distribution, both kicking and throwing, for a young ‘˜keeper.

The main downfall in Dean’s game is his dealing with crosses. Again funnily enough, similar to our own Pepe Reina, he has some troubles handling the ball under pressure. Nevertheless, he is a very young man for a ‘˜keeper, and wont reach his peak for another twelve years (give or take), so that gives him plenty of time to iron out any downfalls in his game.

Despite his obvious goalkeeping abilities, it is his physical qualities for a lad of just seventeen that make Bouzanis such a special goalkeeper, a giant standing at 6ft 3′ (191cm for you Europeans), clearly naturally strong and fit, he could (in my opinion) handle the physicality of the Premiership now, if only in body (not mind).

Bouzanis would be a regular in most reserve teams, however here at Liverpool he has to share the limelight with another ‘˜keeper tipped for great things Péter Gulácsi, who is probably one or two steps ahead of Bouzanis in terms of development at this minute, which is currently forcing him back to Under-18 level in search of football.

Due to the goalkeeping rotation, even Liverpool Way fanzine editor Dave Usher, a regular at reserve and academy games, could not muster too much firm information on him:

“I haven’t seen too much of Dean Bouzanis simply because the competition for goalkeeping places at the club is so fierce that he hasn’t had that many games. He played a fair bit for the under 18’s last year, and I saw him a couple of times but he had very little to do in those games. I also saw him play a few friendly games for the reserves at the Academy, and he made some good saves but also a couple of errors. From the limited bits I’ve seen, I’d say his handling looks excellent but he needs to improve on crosses.

“He wasn’t at the Academy very long before he was promoted to Melwood, which given how difficult that is proving for most of the lads at the Academy suggests that he is very highly rated by Rafa and his coaching staff. Although he’s training with Gary Ablett’s reserve squad, it’s hard to see him playing too many reserve games, even though regular keeper Dave Martin has gone out on loan. Ablett still has Peter Gulacsi, Martin Hansen and occasionally Diego Cavalieri to choose from as well as Dean, so it’s hard to see Dean playing that regularly unless there is an injury or two. Gulacsi started the season as first choice but there will be times when he is away on international duty, so Dean may get opportunities then.”

Despite this lack of playing time Rafa Benitez has clearly seen something he likes in young Dean Bouzanis, as word is, that he is about to be offered a new five-year contract to boost his already (apparently) bursting wallet.

What do you think; can Dean Bouzanis one day fill Pepe Reina’s massive gloves between the Anfield sticks and become a future KopStar? Let us know here.

Meet Gerardo Alfreda Bruna Blanco, a 17 year old lad born in Mendoza, Argentina, who only weeks before joining Liverpool was given a tag which would raise people expectations of him to a whole new level, “Madrid’s answer to Messi”.

Soon enough after been linked with him, a rather convincing photo of him pointing to Liverpool on an ‘Easyjet map of the world’ was almost a signed contract in itself. Using a loophole which took Owen and McMannaman to Madrid for a much lower fee, we returned the favour by capturing a player who was key to their setup and envisaged by Real as key to their future.

Michel, Real Madrid’s youth coach seemed to have forgotten that they have played around with us when it came to transfer negotiations however in the past when he made this comment regarding Brunas departure:

“I was surprised when he left, because he had been with us for three years and as soon as he was about to mature, Liverpool took him. In England, when they see one they like, they take him. They sign the player to a professional contract and put him in the reserve team, that does not play competitively. How many young players taken by Liverpool, Chelsea or Arsenal have actually played for their first team and how many have returned?”

Real Madrid were adamant that he was the new Messi, that he had some undoubted quality like no other in there Reserve side, although our in-house talent scout had something to say about that:

This Is Anfield’s Shervin comments:

Well, I think we all know about the ‘œnew Messi’ tag. Pretty exciting, no doubt about it, but, in all honesty, I personally think it has more to do with the fact that, like Messi, Gerardo left Argentina for Spain at a very early age than anything. So, from there, it was not much difficulty for the journos to think of a paper-selling title. However, when you take a close look at the two players’ styles of play, you have to admit there aren’t that many similarities. Personally, I would say he is more of a Silva than a Messi. More of an accurate left-foot than a quick left-foot if that means anything. That’s not to say he can’t get past his man from time to time, but you are unlikely to see him go on one of these long runs, Messi/ Maradona style. Instead, he’s much more of a pick-a-pass type of player and even if he hasn’t really showed it so far from open play, one who could have a few long range screamers in his locker.

In 2007, the Argentine was named in World Soccer Magazines ‘Top 50 Young Players’ list. Infact he was 10th, not a bad feat to say the top 10 also included Alexandre Pato, Sergio Agüero, and Bojan Krkic. He also joined the ranks of Liverpool players to have graced the list in the past 10 years, our on-loan keeper Mikolay Nihalov and Lucas, Fernando Torres, Pepe Reina, Daniel Agger, Emiliano Insua, Ryan Babel and Nabil El Zhar. However, it must be taken into account that Le Tallec was once also featured in this list.

After a few substitute appearences in the Youth setup, it was obvious Bruna was a cut above for his age and found himself drafted into Ablett’s reserve side. The first few months at this level however saw him resigned only to substitute appearences, as his passing was innacurate, and when he tried to get past his man he either failed miserably at running into the correct space, or he was battered off the ball by the opposition. It was a slight worry for the players development, however his talent and natural ability prevailed. During the second half of the season, he proved his worth at a level above his age – scoring for the reserves twice on his full debut, and easing his way past the majority of his opponents on a weekly basis from then onwards. Bruna also opened the scoring from a free-kick against Wigan in the 3-0 4th round tie of the FA Senior Cup.

Mooki3 comments:

Although of joint Spanish and Argentine heritage, it is clear that Bruna learned his trade in Spain, being primarily highly technically proficient. This is best displayed in the weighting of his short passes along with his spectacular free-kick taking. He clearly has confidence in his technique too, as in difficult situations (i.e. around goal) he manages to keep his composure and rarely makes bad decisions.

The boys South American blood shows when he has the ball at his feet and is running at people, however; he has a very creative footballing mind, and likes to endeavour into his bag of tricks. Like all successful, skilful players, Gerardo has beautiful relationship with the football, flaunting this with an excellent first touch and subsequent close control.

In terms of his body, the seventeen year-old is not the strongest, and often struggles with the physicality of the English game (a factor which might have contributed toward his slight lack of form during his first season). Although, this is helped by his turn of pace, which, when combined with his creativity and on ball ability is enough to help him out of many sticky situations.

There is a lot that needs to be done before Gerardo Bruna is ready to grace the hallowed Anfield turf for the first team, nevertheless if his natural ability finds a means to further blossom and a continuing emphasis on physical training is enforced, the potential for another future KopStar is undoubtedly there.

Shervin writes:

Taking a look at his first year over here, I think it’s fair to say Gerardo had a bit of a ‘œLucas’ season. Really struggled with the pace of the game at first, often knocked off the ball and largely limited to late substitutes appearances, overall it couldn’t be said that he succeeded in living up to expectations, at least certainly not in the way Pacheco did.

So far in the 2008-09 season, Gerardo Bruna has put in some good performances for Ablett’s reserve side. He started off the season with a consolation goal again Peterborough United who turned over last years National Reserve League champions in a 4-1 friendly win. A week later he struck the back of the net and scored Liverpools only goal against Stockport County, but once more his solo efforts were of no use to the team as the game finished 1-1.

Previous Kop Stars: Issue 1: Lauri Dalla Valle Issue 2: Krisztian Nemeth Issue 3: Dani Pacheco

First team football with Liverpool for Bruna still looks a long way off though, because while he is talented far above his age, he still has the physical build of a 16 year old, and in the reserve league it is apparent this is what held him back in the first place. Ablett however will undoubtedly be working on building up his frame over the next year, and it would be very surprising if he didnt feature in a bench spot during the final run-in of the season, or at least thought of in the same light as Nemeth and Insua currently are enjoying.

Shervin writes:

I guess there’s always the main question of whether he will make it or not. Based on his showings so far, it’s very tough to say; at least I can’t say I’m as confident as as with Nemeth or Pacheco, but his latest performances may suggest that we are only just starting to see the Bruna Real were so furious to lose. Still, he will have to work on that weakness he has of being a bit slow to react to opposition players closing him down but I believe we will have a much better idea after this coming season, with Gary Ablett himself admitting Bruna should be a big player next season. It will probably be a bit longer with Gerardo than with Nemeth, Pacheco, Insua etc but hopefully, it will be worth the wait.

Earlier in the year Guillem Balague, a close friend of Benitez and auther of “A Season on the Brink”, a book about our emphatic Istanbul win in 2005 was asked if Bruna really compares to the likes of Messi and Maradona, or if this is simply just a fancy ‘For Sale’ sign Madrid had put on him to speed up his sale. Balague Replied:

“Bruna the new Messi? I laugh at those things. The new Messi – were talking about the best player in the world at the moment with some of the qualities that haven’t been matched ever. A big tag for Bruna to live up to. I’ve seen some videos of him – he is a short guy who is very mobile, very quick, runs with the ball well and who can become the new Messi, if you like, but more realistically the new Luis Garcia. But he is definitely useful for the kind of football that Liverpool practices. If he grows into the role and gets a little stronger he could be useful. He’s a talent who will develop at a club where he will feel important and with a club who know how to deal with youngsters. But I wouldn’t get too excited just yet.”

The opinions on Bruna vary, but wether he is tipped to be the next Garcia, Riquelme, Raul or Messi – the message everyone is sending out his clear, that he is a player who posseses great skill and talent, whoever he is likened to, and the chances are – he will be wearing a first team number in seasons to come.

With thanks to Aero, DanDagger, Mooki3, Shervin and Whocantucan.

During the summer of 2007, Rafael Benítez pulled off a massive transfer coup, the type of which Arsène Wenger has been gracing Arsenal with for years. They managed to lure prized asset Dani Pacheco away from F.C. Barcelona’s under-18’s side (where he had been playing since age fifteen).

The move, which was comparable to that of Gerard Piqué, Fran Mérida, and most notably Cesc Fàbregas in that the Catalonian giants were powerless to avoid the loss due to Spanish law, proved too tempting for the man of half Spanish, half Czech heritage.

Understandably, members of the Barça hierarchy were decidedly disenchanted at young Dani’s decision. His youth coach Garcia Pimienta said of the Melwood bound player: “It is a great loss for the club because he is a forward with a lot of quality, he has been our top goal scorer (scoring 30 goals in the previous season) and has already played for the youth team’.

“He is one of the cadets we had the most hope for, but nothing can be done anymore. Everything happened very suddenly’.

Those of you that had the pleasure of watching the lad during the second half of the season, I am sure will agree Pimienta’s dissatisfaction is justified, and for those who didn’t, take a look at these videos of him in action at Barça:

In this, next video, keep an eye out for a moment of absolute brilliance on 51 seconds;

F.C. Barcelona were so irked at their loss, it is reported they attempted to claim as much as €6,000,000 from Liverpool, and the court case surrounding this matter was the reason behind Dani’s absence the majority of the first half of the season. Fortunately, the courts settled on a deal worth €200,000 allowing the player to play a major role in the second half of the season.

Factfile: DOB: 5/1/1991 Born: Malaga, Spain Former clubs: Malaga, Barcelona Height: 5′ 6 Weight: 10st 3

Having made enough of an impression on Liverpool’s chief Spanish scout Eduardo Macia to sign him up, and the legalities wrapped up, Dani was given his first full start against Bolton reserves on the 4th of February, and he was fired up for it, getting his first league goal and turning in a man of the match performance

Reserve team boss Gary Ablett lead the praise; “Daniel has been very patient waiting for his chance and he did very well. He has got great close control and he can make things happen. He took his goal very well’.

From there Dani’s season went from strength to strength, showing some moments of absolute brilliance, and scoring the vital only goal in the Liverpool senior cup semi-final against a difficult Prescot Cables side, and bagging the all important second in the Lancashire County cup semi-final to wrap the game up against League Two opposition Accrington Stanley.

After being dubbed reserve champions of Northern England, only an exceptionally strong Aston Villa side, packed with first team players, stood in the way of a very young Liverpool reserve side being crowned the greatest second-string in all the land. Dani Pacheco only managed a seventeen-minute cameo appearance from the bench that evening, but wasted no time in showing the watching Anfield crowd glimpses of his massive potential.

Look out for the beautiful through ball to Lucas Leiva on 7:21, and the awareness to get into the goal-scoring position (although he does miss it, I would put that down to concentration, an attribute that comes with expierence) on 8:42:

Since the season has finished, Dani has gone to and won the U17 championships with Spain. Although he did not manage to feature in the elite or final rounds of the tournament due to injury, he bagged a hat trick during qualification to help them to the trophy.

He has also (along with another of our reserve players; Francis Durán) received the rare accolade of a jábega (a model ship), for services to his hometown Málaga. The award was presented by Salvador Pendón (president of the local council), who claimed: ‘œit’s is a special privilege to welcome these two young malagueños who despite their youth serve already as a reference for other young people in this province and to see that their success has surpassed our borders by being part of one of the best football clubs in Europe and the World, and also being part of the Spanish national team on different youth levels, who’ve also given us so much satisfaction’.

During the event Dani discussed his first season at Melwood; ‘œthis season has been a bit hectic since besides my duties at Liverpool I’ve been to numerous meetings with the U-17 Spanish national team but I am very happy after receiving a call from Rafa Benitez to begin the pre-season with the first team.’

One thing that never fails to amaze me about the top young Spanish prospects is how ahead of their years they are in both technical and mental ability. This was well displayed at the previous U17 championship, where players such as Thiago Alcántara and Keko Gontán played other teams off the park with these attributes alone. Dani is no different, it is abundantly clear he has had top quality coaching from a very young age.

The intelligence in his off the ball movement is key to the way he plays his game, as he does not mind covering a lot of ground in the final third to get involved. It is this natural inclination / work rate, along with his awareness of other players in the game that makes him so effective in the withdrawn (No. 10) strikers role. Nonetheless, it is that intelligence of movement that also enables him to find space for goal scoring opportunities in the box (ala your typical No. 9); this ability to freely score from the No. 10 position is the cause of the comparisons to the great Romário.

Dani gained his nickname ‘˜the killer’ from his deadly finishing in front of goal, and this is just one attribute that contributes to him being a very well rounded player with the ball at his feet. He has a great first touch and subsequent close control, this aids his dribbling, which is a constant threat to opposition defences. Most players with these attributes at a young age are one track minded, Dani however is a good team player, and to emphasise this he possesses a good range of passing, especially his weighted through-balls.

At five-foot-six, and weighing in at a slight ten stone and three pounds, it is clear the staff at Melwood must improve his physicality to ensure he can deal with centre backs in the English game. Even still, aside from this he is a physically impressive player too, a fit lad with a good turn of pace.

Of course, no issue of KopStar would be complete without resident youth football expert Shervin depicting the player for us:

Shervin wrote: Some players are just born for the beautiful game, and I think Daniel is one of these. There is just some spark about this boy that you don’t see in other players. It’s not an easy to put such a feeling into words but he clearly has got something, the type of player you would pay to watch. You often get commentators throwing stuff like “dribbling past defenders as if they weren’t there etc..” every now and then, too much for my liking, but it could not be truer in Pacheco’s case. He just seems to dance past defenders’ challenges, no need for step-overs, roulettes or other fancy tricks, just a drop of the shoulder followed by a terrific burst of pace. There’s only one way to cope with Pacheco and that is to force him to play back to goal, once he gets goal side and starts to run at the defender you know the latter is in serious trouble. However, for all the dribbling wizard he is, that doesn’t limit him to just an amazing individual talent. He certainly can pick out a pass as well, as showed by his delightful through-ball to Lucas in the reserves league final.

However, there’s only one thing really who can prevent him from making it to the highest level, and I think most will agree on that, which is height or lack of. It would not really be a concern if he had the compact physique of Maradona or Tevez, but he’s still very much a skinny lad. But, at only 17, because yes, even though he’s already training with our big boys, he’s still only a teen, he will hopefully manage a few more inches. Also, despite being nicknamed “the killer” at his former club, he’s yet to really find his shooting boots for us but I guess that will come with a bit more confidence and a little more power to his shots.

But, all in all, I don’t think there is anyone in our youth teams that comes close to Pacheco in terms of pure technical and dribbling ability. I would go as far as saying, but that’s my personal opinion, he is the most exciting prospect we have at the club.

Previous Kop Stars: Issue 1: Lauri Dalla Valle Issue 2: Krisztian Nemeth

What do you think; the best prospect at the club? Only time will tell if Dani Pacheco will be a future KopStar, he is still very young, and many years away from being the finished article. Although, with Rafa Benitez asking him to begin pre-season with the first team, will we see young lad from the Costa del Sol shine a light on the Kop sooner rater than later?

Let us know here

Krisztian Nemeth signed for Liverpool alongside compatriot Andras Simon in May 2007. Krisztian signed a 3 year contract. On signing, Benitez commented: “We have been watching these players for a long time. There were alot of big clubs interested in them, such as Real Madrid, Ajax and PSV Eindhoven.

Mooki3 wrote: “It’s nigh on sixty-four years since the debut of Hungarian football’s (and at the time, the worlds) greatest ever player, Ferenc Purczeld Biró, or Ferenc Puskás, as he is better known….. Since then, he is yet to be challenged, never mind usurped from his position as the Nations greatest. However, there is excitement growing from within the country, that there is a player finally worthy of challenging the great Puskás, a young man hailing from the picturesque city of GyÅ‘r, Krisztián Németh.

Young Krisztián has more than a little in common with his hero, they both made their professional debuts at the tender age of sixteen. They both have quite unbelievable scoring records; Krisztián has scored in 88.9% of the games he has played as a reserve player, and has an even better record for Country; managing to hit the net seventeen times in just twelve appearances for the under 19s and under 21s. It is in playing style, however, where the two (Puskás being left-footed aside) are strikingly similar, with both players excelling in both of the No. 9 and 10 forward positions.”

Krisztian played 37 games for MTK Hungaria, scoring an impressive return of 14 goals for his age. Nemeth played his final game for MTK on the 28th May 2007, when they beat Ujpest 2-0 in the last game of the Himgary league, where they finished 2nd behind Debrecen. Nemeth scored 12 goals in as many games for MTK Hungaria that season.

In 2005/06, Nemeth starred for Hungary’s U17’s in their quest to reach the 2006 UEFA European U17 Football Finals.
* In their Qualifying round – Nemeth scored 4 goals in 3 games
* In their Elite round – Nemeth scored 5 goals in 3 games

Krisztián also starred for Hungary in the 2006 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship finals in Luxembourg, and recently he scored seven goals in three matches for the U19s in a mini-tournament in Cyprus.

After an early season injury, Nemeth had to wait till the 27th October for his first Liverpool game. Nemeth started his Liverpool career for the U18’s in their 0-0 draw with West Brom. Nemeth then went on to make his debut for the Liverpool Reserves on the 27th November 2007 against Manchester City. Nemeth marked his debut with an eye catching performance with a first half brace against Manchester City and was unlucky not to grab a hat-trik when he saw an effort crash back of the post.

A week later, Nemeth followed up his brace at Manchester City with another brace, this time against Everton. Nemeth had made an impressive start to his Liverpool career grabbing 4 goals in his first two games. After the Everton clash, Gary Ablett told liverpoolfc.tv “Krisztian is in a rich vein of form at the moment and he took his goals very well. He showed fantastic skill for his first goal and he does that all the time in training.”

In the following game against Middlesbrough, Nemeth again scored when he unleashed a great drive from 25 yards to claim his 5th goal in 3 matches.

Kid Viravax wrote: “He’s a player 2 or 3 years ahead of his age in ability, being promoted from the national u-19’s to the U-21’s, and gone on to net more goals than games, with 7 in the past 6! Nemeth has one of the most natural volleys of the ball i have seen for a long time, since Molby! He just knows the height and speed the ball is coming in at, and very rarely misses the target. The way he can connect from a long ball like that makes him a wingers dream, and as shown for his national side, this is how he is played.

Everyone compares him to Fowler, and when it comes to his instinct inside the box, they are not far off. He never lets a ball slip to an opposition defender, and is always on the end of a blocked shot or pass into the penalty area, but in reality he is far from a ‘fox in the box’, showing his ability to get past players, set others up, and make some amazing counter runs many times this season.

He is one of the two or three players i can really see hitting the big time wearing a red shirt, and is a quality spot from Rafa. Simon is a decent player, but nowhere near Nemeth’s standard, and Gulacsi has yet to prove his worth inbetween the sticks, which makes me think Nemeth was such a high target on Rafas youth list, he was willing to bring these players just to make sure Nemeth settles in and adapts to the Liverpool lifestyle very well, as it seems like he’s going to be here for quite some time! Next year will be his chance to prove it, he’s 19, and with even Ablett coming out and saying he has the potential to be as big as Kenny, and Rafa saying Nemeth is something special, the time seems nigh!”

In the middle of February, Nemeth moved Liverpool Reserves 5 points clear at the top of the Barclays Premier Reserve League North table when Liverpool beat Sunderland Reserves 1-0. Nemeth scored a fantastic goal when a brilliant long field ball from goalkeeper David Martin was chased by Nemeth and when the Sunderland defender, Jean Yves M’Voto slipped, Nemeth camly lobbed the ball over the stranded Trevor Carson for his 6th league goal.

>>See also: Kop Star Issue 1: Lauri Dalla Valle

Nemeth continued to impress for the reserves and again scored the only goal of the match against Bolton in March. The Reserves then travelled to America to take part in the Dallas Cup. Liverpool capped their powerful run through the Dallas Cup with a 3-0 victory over Mexican club Tigres in the final. Nemeth made all the headlines scoring two of those goals.

At the beginning of April, Liverpool Reserves were crowned Champions of the Barclays Premier Reserve League North after a 1-0 win over Blackburn Rovers. The Reserves clinched the title with two games to spare courtesy of Krisztian Nemeth’s superb first-half strike. That was Nemeth’s 8 goals in 11 appearances in the League which made him the Reserves leading top scorer.

Shervin wrote: “This is one player who has just got better and better with every single game. I do remember his first (and only game I think) with the under-18s where the ball just wouldn’t go in for him, but that tells you a lot about the character of the lad when you now take a look at what he achieved goalscoring-wise with the reserves.

He doesn’t have the pace of Owen or even the finishing quality of Fowler (at least not yet), but the one thing behind his goalscoring prowess in my opinion, and that’s one attribute he shares with Torres, is that nothing, but really nothing, seems to affect his confidence. He’s certainly not one to dwell on an easy miss, in fact if anything it just makes him more hungry, and when you couple that with the tremendous ability Nemeth has of always being in the right place at the right time, you can be sure you’ve got there someone who is always going to bag them in.

However, to be honest, his goalscoring record has probably overshadowed what I believe to be his main qualities. I’ve rarely seen a 19-year old with the same vision as Krisztian, not only does he has the ability to pick out a teammate’s run, he more often than not gets the timing of the pass spot on as well. All that means that I’m personally not worried about the step up to the premiership and as he showed against the likes of Neville and Pique, he’s got enough self-belief to take on even the most experienced defenders.”

Nemeth’s form hasn’t escaped the attention of Benitez, who expects the Hungarian to knock on the first-team door in seasons to come. Speaking to liverpoolfc.tv, Benitez commented “He is playing well. He is a player with game intelligence, with ability and someone who can score goals. He is a player we are keeping an eye on for the future. It is not easy with the strikers we have and the situation at the moment, but we know he is a good player who has the quality and talent we need. He must keep working. His is learning and working with the staff. I think he will be much better in time because he wants to learn.” Gary Ablett also commented on Nemeth claiming he can see shades of Kenny Dalglish in the way reserve striker Krisztian Nemeth plays football ‘“ but insists the youngster has a lot to learn before people can call him the King.

After been crowned Northern Division Champions, Liverpool reserves then played Aston Villa in an entertaining play-off final at Anfield to see who would be crowned National Champions. This was Nemeth’s first ever game at Anfield and once again, Krisztian shone for the Reserves grabbing a goal. Nemeth showing great composure flashed a shot from just inside the penalty area into the far corner to give Liverpool the perfect start. It was an incredible season for Nemeth, who can now add the national title medal to both the Dallas Cup and the Northern Division championship medals, to complete what was a superb cup treble.

DanDagger wrote: “He is a very intelligent player considering his age and experience. He knows when to shield the ball, take people on and when to pass or shoot. His decision making is superb. He is a player who can use both of his feet effectively and we can see that when we look at his goals. One thing I do think he could work on his his heading though where I think he could have grabbed one or two more goals which is also the though of Gary Ablett.

He has great technique, awareness, finishing ability, composure and he has a bit of flair as well. He’s not afraid to do some work defensively and he leads the line superbly. Weather he’s coming off the main striker or he is the main striker, he will be effective. He is a handful for any defender and we have seen that he can play with top class players. When he was up against Gerard Pique, who has recently moved to Barca, he skinned him and won a penalty for example. He has super strength as we have seen from the Blackburn goal. He has the confidence to attempt the flash goals for example the lob in the Sunderland game. He can use his left foot, as we’ve seen in the Aston Villa final.”

Nemeth’s season wasn’t finished just yet, at the end of May he scored a crucial goal against Portugal to take Hungary the Hungary U19’s into the European Championships. As a reward for his outstanding season and form, in May 2008, Nemeth was called up to the Hungary Senior squad and was an unused sub during their 1-1 draw with Croatia.

Mooki3 wrote: “Németh has the technical ability and mental awareness to allow him to play the No. 10 role, which he has been thriving in for the reserves this season, along side the less-flexible Jordy Brouwer. It is in the No. 9 position however, where I see Krisztián Németh’s long-term future in a Liverpool shirt. When a player has such a natural ability to get in to poachers positions, along with an innate ability to hit the net upon receiving his chance, it needs to be nurtured, as this is the rarest breed of player.

Németh is an exciting player to watch and he posses a nice assortment of skills and tricks, but it is the quickness of his feet that enable them to be effective. His favoured manoeuvres are the back-healed pass (if you think Ronaldo’s goal against Villa last year was special, trust me, you haven’t seen anything yet!). In addition, when coming deep to collect the ball; Krisztián likes to receive it into feet and turn his man to find space to get his shot or pass off; it is very reminiscent of when Fernando Torres comes deep to receive the ball.

Liverpool’s academy set-up has a proud tradition of nurturing vastly talented players in the No. 9 role (look at Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, super-sub David Fairclough, Bobby Graham et al.), I am a betting man, and my money is firmly on the boy with the orange boots being the next name added to that list.”

Big things are expected of Nemeth who was voted the Liverpool fans Reserve Player of the year. The question is WHEN will Krisztian Nemeth become a KopStar rather than WILL he become a KopStar…

Lauri Dalla Valle is regarded as one of the best young talents to ever come out of Finland. Valle has made an amazing impact at Liverpool’s academy since his arrival last January. With his exquisite touch and clinical finishing, the Finnish youngster already has an outstanding goalscoring record in the Academy. Only 16, the fact that the youngster has already featured for the U18’s this season shows how highly the Liverpool Academy coaches think of him. Kop Star reviews Lauri’s impressive first season at Liverpool.

Lauri was born in Joensuu, Finland on 14 September 1991. At the age of 14, Lauri caught the eye of Inter Milan’s youth scouts and was snapped up very quickly by Inter. Dalla Valle moved to Italy with the idea of learning his trade with the Italian giants. However, Lauri failed to settle in Italy and four months later, he returned to Finland to play in Joensuun Jippo.

In the Autumn of 2006 Liverpool invited Lauri to a training camp at Melwood. Dalla Valle played in a training match against Blackburn Rovers Youths. He scored one goal and assisted another in a match that ended 2-1 to Liverpool. Dalla Valle impressed Malcolm Elias, Gwyn James and Steve Heighway so much, Liverpool offered the Finnish youngster a 4 year contract.

Sami Hyypia commented on the youngster on a Finnish column on plaza.fi after witnessing the youngster at Melwood for his trial: “One of the names for the future is Lauri Dalla Valle. I had noticed his name in a article in Urheilulehti, where reporters had gone through the most promising Finnish talents. He doesn’t have a typical Finnish name, which might be one of the reason the name stuck in my mind. Now I definitely won’t forget it, because I had the pleasure to meet him last week in Liverpool. Dalla Valle was in Liverpool for a week to get to know the club. We had interesting conversations with him and his father Lorenzo. They both had a the right approach to things. They both understood what a big move this would be, especially at that age. It seemed clear to both of them what a big challenge it is to go from an academy player to a first team player in such a big club. And also the reality that this hasn’t really been done by any Finnish player.”

“If Lauri decides to come to Liverpool, will we one day see him playing in the red shirt? The signs are there. It seems that the young man has the talent, patience and commitment. Add to that an incredible amount of work and a little bit of luck, then why not? Based on the week he spent here, I think a good impression was made both ways.”

Dalla Valle pictured with Kevin Keegan at the Academy earlier in the year.

Malcolm Elias, the recruiting coach for the academy witnessed Dalla Valle in action when Finland travelled to Ireland in an U16 International fixture in October 2006. The Finn’s played the Irish twice within a space of the week. The first game ended 1-0 to Finland with Dalle Valle grabbing the only goal of the game. The second match saw Finland hand the Republic of Ireland U16’s their heaviest defeat of the season with the impressive Finnish skipper Lauri Dalle Valle grabbing all the headlines with two fantastic goals. Elias commented at the time “I was very convinced after seeing the game and it just confirmed the previous info I’d gotten on him. He is a special talent, there’s no doubt about that. He can utilise the space given him well, is smart, has good vision on the pitch, controls the game and can score goals”. Lauri Dalla Valle also commented about that International game: “When we played in Ireland, I scored 3 goals in 2 matches and set up a couple more. After that we started to get contacts from Italian and English clubs.”

Lauri returned to Finland playing in Joensuun Jippo’s senior team in the Finnish First Division. He was mainly used there as winger. He also played with their junior team and helped them gain promotion to Finnish Junior’s Premier Division.The gifted Lauri was becoming one of the most sought after talents in World Football. Inter wanted him, Ajax, AC Milan, Barcelona and Chelsea all wanted him, but he choose Liverpool. In November 2007 Dalla Valle announced that he had signed for Liverpool signing a 3 and a half year deal. On signing, he commented: “Earlier, I trained for 4 months with Inter Milan, but I was always tempted by Liverpool and I thought it through before I made my decision.”

Dalla Valle arrived in January 2008. At the beginning of January, Dalla Valle played his first Liverpool game in a specially arranged friendly match for the U17’s against the Liverpool U18’s. The game ended 3-3 with Lauri grabbing a hat-trick for the U17 side. Lauri got his Liverpool career off to a great start. His first game for the U16’s was against the Everton U16’s. Liverpool beat Everton 2-0. Lauri played the first 45 minutes scoring their 2nd goal.

In the following U16’s game against Manchester United, Liverpool won 4-3. Lauri Dalla Valle played 60 minutes scoring a goal and also assisting one. Liverpool academy scout Ian Barrigan commented “I would say he is the most natural finisher in the history of our academy.’ Liverpool U16’s then played another friendly game against the Liverpool U18s which ended 2-1 to the U18’s. Dalla Valle, played for the U16 side and scored the only goal for the U16’s. He then continued his goal scoring spree with a goal against Stoke U16’s and followed this up scoring a great header in their clash against Blackburn’s U16’s.

At the end of February, Dalla Valle was called up to the U18 Finnish team who were prepairing for the European Championship pre qualifers which are to be played mid October. Finlands new U18 manager Jyrki Heliskoski commented “In his age class, Dalla Valle and Pukki are international class players. We are trying to build an understanding, because Liverpool and the National’s team mutual goal is Lauri’s improvement. The day to day work at the club is important, but the International games develop the player.” Back in March, Dalla Valle had played 10 youth games for Finland in which he scored 9 goals.

On the 15th March, Liverpool U16’s beat Barnsley U16’s 2-1 with Lauri grabbing both goals. Lauri had now played 8 officials games for the U16 side scoring 8 goals along the way. His magnificent form was rewarded when he was included in the U18’s trip to the United Arab Emirates for the Zayed Tournament where they competed against Fluminese of Brazil and Atletico Madrid from Spain. At the beginning of April, Lauri continued his impressive goal scoring spree as the U16’s trashed Derby U16’s 5-0. Lauri scored the opening goal, assisted the second and scored the third goal for Liverpool.

On Wednesday April 9th 2008, Lauri Dalla Valle got his first taste of U18 football for Liverpool when the U18’s drew 1-1 with Manchester City’s u18’s. Lauri came on as a sub with 20 minutes remaining playing in his preferred number 10 position.

Liverpool U16’s played their final game of the season against Leeds United. Again Dalla Valle was on the scoresheet when he grabbed a second half equaliser to make it 2-2, but Leeds went on to win the game 4-2. Lauri Dalla Valle finished the season with 11 goals from 10 matches for the U16 team, appeared once as a sub for the U18 team and also in the Dubai tournament and then joined the U18 team in the USA for a tournament. This goal record for a 16 year old is very impressive.

‘Kid Viravax’ wrote: His goal to game ratio is outstanding and the way he has adapted is seamless – coming from another country, into completley different footballing culture, aswell as adapting to the language and our way of life, he has done extremely well.

Liverpool’s academy scout Ian Barrigan (speaking to a Norwegian supporters club magazine called ‘The Kopite’) commented “Everybody is talking about how many goals he has scored. Lauri has only once failed to score in U17 matches but apart from that it was his best game here. He must play as an out and out striker though his best position is behind the main striker.” John Owens also commented on Dalla Valle “Lauri has a great balance and skills as a striker, but first and foremost he is an excellent finisher and goal scorer. If he gets into the right positions, he has the ability to make the right decisions. He can also play in the support striker role, but he needs to work with his build up play and team play.”

‘Mooki3′ wrote: Lauri Dalla Valle is a well rounded player for a young lad, he is essentially a creative midfielder or a support striker, he can play in either of these positions as they allow him to be the main creative influence in the team, and he thrives off that.

There are a few players I could compare Lauri to, and I do so based on playing style, not ability. As a midfielder he is comparable to our own Stevie G, he is good technically, has a driven personality, and an excellent physical presence on the pitch. However, up top, he plays more like a Wayne Rooney, always dropping off to receive the ball, wanting to get involved and battling when not in possession. He is more clinical in front of goal than Wayne ever was however, having been described by one of our youth coaches Ian Barrigan as ‘œthe most natural finisher we have ever had at the academy’, high praise indeed when you consider Michael Owen and God himself are previous graduates.

As previously stated, for a sixteen year old kid, he has physical qualities beyond his years. He is clearly tall for his age, I could not be sure but he appears to me to be about six-foot, and not one of these skinny boys either. Although having said this he is no oafish midfielder, he complements his size by possessing a great turn of pace.

Technically is where he excels however, he is a great passer and dribbler of the ball, showing good balance and agility on the ball for a big fella. He is let down by often making the wrong decisions (thinking he can do everything by himself, or trying the audacious pass instead of taking the easy option). However, these are traits often shown by young players (look at how single minded Ronaldo was upon arriving at Old Trafford) and if / when they are ironed out of his game, I have no doubt he can have a very bright future here at Anfield.

Lauri Dalla Valle is among many Liverpool young players with a great future ahead of them. Only 16, Dalla Valle, with his exquisite touch and clinical finishing already looks like he’s on course to becoming a KopStar in the future after his outstanding goalscoring record in his first year in the Academy. It will be very interesting to see how he adapts to playing at a higher level for the U18’s or perhaps the Reserves next season.

Lauri Dalla Valle – A Future KopStar?

Don’t miss next week’s KopStar where Liverpool youngster Krisztian Nemeth will be discussed.