Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says the clubs young players need to follow the footsteps of captain Steven Gerrard more closely.
The Reds were beaten 3-2 by League OneOldham Athletic in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday with a starting line-up that consisted of just three players over the age of 23.
After the loss, Rodgers admitted that his youngsters were simply not good enough and has urged them to pick up their game and become more like Gerrard otherwise they will not succeed in the unforgiving reality of professional football.
"This is a harsh school. This isn't a club where a young player can come in and have lots of time to settle, this is one of the biggest clubs in the world, so you need to understand that every game you play is a cup final," he said.
"And yesterday we had one or two that were too soft, simple as that. If you want to have a career at a club like this, you've got to be tougher than yesterday.
"It was only when Steven Gerrard and Stewart Downing came on that we played anywhere near the intensity and tempo that we would expect.
"It's where the admiration of the likes of a Steven Gerrard and the Jamie Carraghers of this world comes from. You look at Steven yesterday - take away his quality, just his sheer enthusiasm for the game.
"He absolutely flipped the game on its head. It was fantastic but he does that every day of his life, and that's why he's a world-class player.
"Our young players, they won't have a greater role model to follow, and they're in pole position to learn, because they're seeing him every single day.
"If they're bright enough, they'll learn from him, and then hopefully they can be here for a long time.
"If not, they might find themselves playing in League One later on in their life, and they'll regret the opportunity they had of looking at a world-class player every day and learning."
