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Hodgson prepares for tough debut

Roy Hodgson will take charge of Liverpool in a competitive game on for the first time on Thursday © Getty Images

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Roy Hodgson admits his first match in charge of Liverpool could prove to be his toughest for a while as he prepares to take on FK Rabotnicki in Macedonia with a vastly inexperienced team.

Hodgson took Fulham to the Europa League final from the same stage last season but he is yet to have time to work with the Liverpool squad and World Cup duties have prevented up to ten of his first team players from being available for the tricky third round qualifier in Skopje.

Players such as the England quartet of Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole, Jamie Carragher and Glen Johnson are not being risked because they only returned to training last week. Javier Mascherano and Maxi Rodriguez are also missing having come back even later while Fernando Torres, Jose Reina, Ryan Babel and Dirk Kuyt are still on holiday.

Hodgson said: "I couldn't have envisaged at the start of my time with Liverpool a more difficult situation than the one I find myself in - coming to Skopje to play a third qualifying round game against a good opponent having really had very little time to work with the Liverpool first team, and not having as many as 10 senior first-team players.

"So, it couldn't be more difficult. Although I did it with Fulham, I think in World Cup years it is a tremendous burden on the senior teams from countries like England, Spain, Italy and Germany to have to play third qualifying round matches on July 29 when the players have not returned from their holidays until July 22 or 23. Everybody knows that you can't bring people off the beach, give them three days' training and then throw them into a top-class competitive game.''

Martin Skrtel, Daniel Agger, Sotirios Kyrgiakos, David Ngog, Alberto Aquilani and new signing Milan Jovanovic make up a handful of senior players on duty. Lesser lights such as Diego Cavalieri, Stephen Darby, Martin Kelly and Jay Spearing are in contention to feature.

Hodgson said: "I am hoping it will be a good game from us and we will be able to win it, but I am far from confident that is going to be the case because we know the value of the opposition and we know that with 13 players returning from the World Cup and most of them not here, this is not the Liverpool team that people will be watching throughout the season. But I am still very optimistic the team we put out tomorrow will be very competitive and will not let the club down.''

Liverpool's youngsters must step up and handle the pressure of having the club's European campaign on their shoulders if they plan to make a name for themselves at the five-time European champions, Hodgson said.

"It is not sink or swim - it would be very harsh to write off a player's chances of becoming a good player on the evidence of a game. I think it is more an opportunity to swim than to fear for them sinking. But we are obliged to put our European fate into the hands of many inexperienced players. We can only hope that, because they have got talent, they will come through these ties against an experienced and well-versed team in European football like Rabotnicki. It is a massive step for them but it is a step up you have to experience. You can't talk people through it."

Hodgson feels the Europa League could have an important part to play in Liverpool's season but there was never any chance of throwing in a player like Gerrard at the Philip II Stadium.

He said: "We were never close to that because they have only been training for four days. It would have been folly to try to play 90 minutes' football in an important competition in difficult conditions with players who have only been training for four days. We have pressed one or two players into service who were back one or two days earlier than that but in an ideal world we would not have used any of the players that played in the World Cup. But, quite frankly, we are not in a strong enough position to do that.''

Hodgson does have experience of Rabotnicki in his camp as assistant manager Sammy Lee overcame them whilst in charge of Bolton three years ago. Yet, with that result one of the few highlights of Lee's ill-fated reign at the Reebok Stadium, Hodgson says his number two is not coming forward with great advice.

Hodgson said: "He has erased his whole time as Bolton manager from his memory and I am very pleased he has done so! He remembers the stadium looking very different from how it does today. Bolton managed to get through the tie, with some difficulty, but he doesn't remember much about the game. We know as much about them as you are able to find out in a week - that is when we knew we would be playing them. We know we can expect a tough game against a team who, for them, this is a very important game. We know they will be doing their very best to beat us.''

FK Rabotnicki coach Zoran Stratev has told his team they have nothing to fear from Liverpool. Stratev, whose side finished second in Macedonia last term, said: "We know Liverpool are a better team than us but we are ready to play for our country and for ourselves and to show the world we know how to play football.

"There is no reason for us to be afraid, we do not have anything to lose. I am expecting a wonderful match and I believe the players are ready to give it their best. After the match we will see if we have done enough to get a result. We expect a wonderful atmosphere at the stadium.''

Rabotnicki, who have already beaten Lusitans of Andorra and Armenian side Mika to reach this stage, head to Anfield for the second leg next week.

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