BT Sport pundits agree that Liverpool can benefit from their 2-0 defeat against Atalanta on Wednesday. The Reds had a rare off night.
Both Peter Crouch and Rio Ferdinand see real benefits for Liverpool after they suffered defeat to Atalanta.
Jurgen Klopp’s team never really got going, failing to register a single shot on target. That pretty much sums up a flat display that saw several stars look tired and sluggish.
But Crouch believes this defeat can seriously benefit some of the younger players.
“Some of these young players, they’ve come into this team and all they’ve seen is good,” Crouch told BT Sport. “I think sometimes it can perhaps ‘help’ you to lose a game here & there and learn that experience and how to bounce back.”
Ferdinand agreed with the ex-Red, feeling that this provides an opportunity for young players – if they take it.
“I think, from experience, you lean more,” said Ferdinand. “You self-analyse, you look at yourself a little bit deeper when you lose a game.
“You hope that these young players will do that, especially with all the experience around them.”
What RTK has to say
Look, it’s about as positive a take as we can get from that display, really. Liverpool were awful – although, not entirely through their own fault.
Most of the players featured against Leicester City on Sunday and will have Saturday’s early kick-off against Brighton in mind. It’s a terrible schedule that will drain players.
But Crouch and Ferdinand certainly make a great point. Curtis Jones, for instance, picked up a Premier League medal ten games into his senior career. You can certainly see how setbacks could help him grow further.
So that will be the big hope. If Neco Williams, Kostas Tsimikas, Rhys Williams and Jones can improve from this, the defeat will seem like a positive.
As long as Liverpool qualify from their Champions League group, of course.
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