'Spanish pair will improve with time'
3rd Jan 2014 - Latest News
A mixture of concerted work on the training pitches and ever-increasing experience of English football has been highlighted as the key to progress for Spanish duo Luis Alberto and Iago Aspas.
The pair were the first of eight recruits by manager Brendan Rodgers during last summer's transfer window, each finalising moves to Liverpool from their home country in the closing days of June.
Aspas starred throughout the Reds' pre-season programme, notching four friendly goals, while his compatriot caught the eye in firing a hat-trick for the club's U21 side at Anfield earlier in the campaign.
With Sunday's FA Cup clash against Oldham Athletic another potential opportunity for the two Spaniards to impress, Colin Pascoe has shared his faith that each can shine with the passing of time.
"The more they get used to the Premier League, the better they'll get," the assistant manager told journalists gathered at Melwood on Friday.
"They know themselves that sometimes they have to be patient. With Philippe playing well, Luis and Raheem doing really well, the team sort of picks itself a lot of the time. They have just got to wait their turn.
"Like any player - a British player or a foreign player - you hope they gel together. Sometimes you do gel quickly, sometimes you do need time to adapt to the Premier League.
"Iago started the season well and obviously had his injury. He has been working hard; he has to wait his turn like all the strikers do. He did well the other day and, with the way he is training, he is getting better."
Questioned on how Alberto can maximise his ability on behalf of the team, Pascoe pointed to the former Sevilla man's comfort in taking any attacking role in Rodgers' expansive system.
The Welshman continued: "He has found it hard at the start, obviously with the pace of the Premier League. He and Iago are training well.
"He can play in a couple of positions, that's the beauty of Alberto. He can play wide, up front as a No.9 or as a No.10. If you asked him, he would probably say a No.10.
"We can tweak things and, if we have to, we can push him up there. There are different positions where you can play Alberto."
This weekend, Liverpool will cross swords with Oldham in the FA Cup for the third consecutive season, having seen off the Latics 5-1 in 2011-12 and been eliminated at Boundary Park last year.
Pascoe explained that the Reds will field a strong line-up for the 3pm GMT kick-off as the club begins a quest for an eighth triumph in world football's oldest cup competition.
He said: "Of course we want to get into the fourth round. The FA Cup is a fantastic trophy. In the history of Liverpool, we've won it seven times. We'll be looking to win it an eighth time.
"You play the games; it has been tough, all these games coming up. But the FA Cup is a special trophy; we'll assess everyone, see if everyone is fit and then we'll pick a team that will go out to win the game.
"We've got a responsibility all the time, when we go to play any game in the Premier League or the FA Cup. It won't be any different on Sunday.
"The youngsters have trained well and I'm sure they'll be ready if called upon. We'll be looking to put in a good performance on Sunday and get through to the next round. We'll be looking at all aspects of how to win the game, and pick the right team.
"They have had two good wins in the first and second round, beating Wolves 2-1 and then Mansfield, two away wins as well - which is very difficult in the cup. It will be a tough game.
"The players are all focused and ready. We'll put out a team on Sunday to perform and to get through to the fourth round. It will be a strong team.
"The FA Cup is a fantastic trophy to win. For a club like Liverpool, who want to win trophies, we have won it seven times and we want to make it eight.
"It is no distraction; the Premier League is week in, week out. But for the tradition of the FA Cup and the tradition of Liverpool, we want to go out there to win it."
3rd Jan 2014 - Latest News
A mixture of concerted work on the training pitches and ever-increasing experience of English football has been highlighted as the key to progress for Spanish duo Luis Alberto and Iago Aspas.
The pair were the first of eight recruits by manager Brendan Rodgers during last summer's transfer window, each finalising moves to Liverpool from their home country in the closing days of June.
Aspas starred throughout the Reds' pre-season programme, notching four friendly goals, while his compatriot caught the eye in firing a hat-trick for the club's U21 side at Anfield earlier in the campaign.
With Sunday's FA Cup clash against Oldham Athletic another potential opportunity for the two Spaniards to impress, Colin Pascoe has shared his faith that each can shine with the passing of time.
"The more they get used to the Premier League, the better they'll get," the assistant manager told journalists gathered at Melwood on Friday.
"They know themselves that sometimes they have to be patient. With Philippe playing well, Luis and Raheem doing really well, the team sort of picks itself a lot of the time. They have just got to wait their turn.
"Like any player - a British player or a foreign player - you hope they gel together. Sometimes you do gel quickly, sometimes you do need time to adapt to the Premier League.
"Iago started the season well and obviously had his injury. He has been working hard; he has to wait his turn like all the strikers do. He did well the other day and, with the way he is training, he is getting better."
Questioned on how Alberto can maximise his ability on behalf of the team, Pascoe pointed to the former Sevilla man's comfort in taking any attacking role in Rodgers' expansive system.
The Welshman continued: "He has found it hard at the start, obviously with the pace of the Premier League. He and Iago are training well.
"He can play in a couple of positions, that's the beauty of Alberto. He can play wide, up front as a No.9 or as a No.10. If you asked him, he would probably say a No.10.
"We can tweak things and, if we have to, we can push him up there. There are different positions where you can play Alberto."
This weekend, Liverpool will cross swords with Oldham in the FA Cup for the third consecutive season, having seen off the Latics 5-1 in 2011-12 and been eliminated at Boundary Park last year.
Pascoe explained that the Reds will field a strong line-up for the 3pm GMT kick-off as the club begins a quest for an eighth triumph in world football's oldest cup competition.
He said: "Of course we want to get into the fourth round. The FA Cup is a fantastic trophy. In the history of Liverpool, we've won it seven times. We'll be looking to win it an eighth time.
"You play the games; it has been tough, all these games coming up. But the FA Cup is a special trophy; we'll assess everyone, see if everyone is fit and then we'll pick a team that will go out to win the game.
"We've got a responsibility all the time, when we go to play any game in the Premier League or the FA Cup. It won't be any different on Sunday.
"The youngsters have trained well and I'm sure they'll be ready if called upon. We'll be looking to put in a good performance on Sunday and get through to the next round. We'll be looking at all aspects of how to win the game, and pick the right team.
"They have had two good wins in the first and second round, beating Wolves 2-1 and then Mansfield, two away wins as well - which is very difficult in the cup. It will be a tough game.
"The players are all focused and ready. We'll put out a team on Sunday to perform and to get through to the fourth round. It will be a strong team.
"The FA Cup is a fantastic trophy to win. For a club like Liverpool, who want to win trophies, we have won it seven times and we want to make it eight.
"It is no distraction; the Premier League is week in, week out. But for the tradition of the FA Cup and the tradition of Liverpool, we want to go out there to win it."
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