EXCLUSIVE: Billy Koumetio reveals all about training with the Liverpool first team, making his Reds debut, and playing Anfield
Where were you the night Liverpool shocked the footballing world to beat Lionel Messi’s Barcelona 4-0 at Anfield to book their place in the Champions League final?
PART ONE: Liverpool youngster left shocked by Jurgen Klopp comments in media and Sadio Mane on training ground “When I arrived there, seeing the atmosphere and everything, the players so close to me, seeing the intensity and hearing them talk on the pitch. It was wow. And what a win, it will never be forgotten, in football in the world. Everybody knows it.
“But it was a good training session. The following day, I was training again and there with another centre-back, Morgan Boyes. The manager was explaining to us about how we would play. We were doing those things as he told us to go there, there, and there when talking about the tactics. “And it was a big game. One thing that shocked me was, obviously not all the players were there and there were a lot of young ones there, but the atmosphere was the same. The stadium was full.
“I remember Andreas told me that I would warm up last. I didn’t understand at that time. ‘What does that mean? Am I going to play or what?’ I went to warm up, to be ready for any kind of circumstances. So what did Klopp say to Koumetio before handing the then 18-year-old his Liverpool debut, and was he aware that he broke a Reds record in the process?
“I was not focused on any personal record, this is the last thing I would think about. But I remember after the game Gini Wijnaldum put up a post saying, ‘Congratulations to Leighton Clarkson and congratulations to Billy Koumetio for becoming the youngest…’ So now I was more conscious of it! “In that season, I learned a lot. I learned that anything can happen,” he recalled. “It was a very difficult situation for them personally.
Having played behind closed doors when making his Liverpool debut, Koumetio was able to experience a ‘proper’ Reds playing experience when handed his maiden start and Anfield outing against Leicester City in the League Cup in December 2021. “Seeing the support during the game, even like the fans shouting, “Man on!”, it’s like they are on the pitch. You hear them in your ear. When you do something great, the way they clap, the way they support you and they encourage you.
“I didn’t say anything about it. We respect it, 100% for sure. He came to me and said it wasn’t about the way we played or I played. The way I played with the ball was simple. Passing to the right and left was good, but he had to make changes and this was his decision. Whatever the future holds for Koumetio, he has trained and played with these great Reds stars. As a youngster, such an experience is priceless.“The best player is very difficult! I don’t know, I would have to think for an hour about the best player!” he laughs. “One thing I notice for sure, the first time I trained with the first team, I went back to the Under-18s afterwards and they asked me this question, who I found the best in training.
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