Eugene YS Han suggests Liverpool should turn to their youth players in order to save their flagging season.

It never rains but it pours.

The problems continue to mount at Liverpool and the last thing they needed was a visit to Merseyside neighbours Everton.

Liverpool's poor start to their season continued on Tuesday when their Champions League campaign was brought to an all too abrupt end, an early exit that has left the Anfield side counting the cost both on and off the pitch.

Having crashed out of Europe's elite competition, the Anfield side now stand to lose around £30 million (that's slightly less than the fee Manchester City paid for Robinho) and to make matters worse, they run the risk of not being able to lure star players to the club with Champions League football. Then again Liverpool, hamstrung by the club's feuding owners and their desire to start building a new stadium, cannot neither afford nor compete for these type of players.

At least Champions League fans will be spared of another all-too-familiar Liverpool vs Chelsea fixture in Europe.

Injuries to key players at crucial times are clearly undermining Liverpool's aspirations. The long-term fitness of Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and new signing Alberto Aquilani has always been a hot topic among fans.

So, what's next for Liverpool? The league title has become but a distant dream but finishing in the top four is a top priority now. The Europa League is literally a poor substitute for the fans used to Champions League nights, while the FA Cup is the only the other viable target for the Reds.

The solution is surely to delve into their youth team and blood the cream of the crop in the first team. This may sound radical, but there's no better time than a sense of crisis and intense pressure to put your faith in youth.

Who knows how they'll respond? The likes of Martin Kelly, Jay Spearing, Daniel Sanchez Ayala, Damien Plessis and Daniel Pacheco have nothing to lose. Just look at how David N'gog has impressed when given a run in the first team thanks to Fernando Torres' injury saga.

It will give first-team players like Dirk Kuyt, Javier Mascherano and Yossi Benayoun a chance to regroup and catch their breath. It will also reduce their chances of collecting injures.

Whether this works or not, depends, ironically, on the man who bought them in - Rafael Benitez. Since his appointment as Liverpool manager in 2004, one gets the feeling that Benitez does not really trust the young players he has under his charge. It's even said Benitez is like kryptonite to youth talent.

Now is the time to prove the naysayers wrong Rafa.

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