Boss happy to see the fruits of training paying off where it matters
Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson was happy with what he saw of Ryan Babel during his recent outing against Steaua Bucharest.
The Reds travelled to take on the Romanian side in a Europa League encounter needing only a point to book a place in the knockout round of the tournament, and a 1-1 draw ensured that a spot in the last 32 was secured.
But with the upcoming game against Aston Villa in mind, the former Fulham boss had fielded a relatively under-strength line-up, handing starts to some of his fringe players, with the likes of Ryan Babel, Dani Pacheco, Jonjo Shelvey and Martin Kelly starting among others.
