Liverpool U21 coach Rob Page was interviewed after their 0-4 away loss to Huddersfield Town in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday night.
Rob Page questioned the scheduling, calling it a disappointing end to what had been an encouraging EFL Trophy campaign for the team.
On Tuesday night, the young Reds lost 0-4 at League One leaders Huddersfield Town, ultimately finishing third in Group H. Huddersfield Town fielded almost their strongest lineup, while Liverpool U21 were missing several key players due to international duty.
Top scorer Will Wright earned his first call-up to the England U19 squad, defender Prince Kobe Cissé was with the Wales U19 squad, and attacking midfielder Eric Farkas was with the England U18 squad.
Page said: "We were fighting with one hand tied behind our backs. I understand the principles of participating in this competition. We want to put our lads up against league opposition, but we also want our best players available.
"We had several players on international duty who could have helped the team.
"I don't think it makes sense to schedule games during international breaks. It's really frustrating. That's why I would never blame the lads who played. Some of Huddersfield Town's players have been playing league football for many years, and they also have the top scorer in League One in their squad.
"We were asked to go out and play an even match, but this wasn't even fair."
Liverpool knew before the game that they were out of contention for the knockout stages and would finish third in the four-team group regardless of the result, with Huddersfield Town securing first place.
The home side scored after just 43 seconds through League One's second-highest scorer Joe Taylor and were 3-0 up by halftime. Liverpool improved in the second half, with Joshua Sonni-Lambie and Luke Chambers both coming close to scoring.
Page said: "I think there were a lot of positives from this game. We were playing against the League One leaders, and they put out the strongest lineup they could.
"I told the players that if they want to keep improving and play league football, they have to have that ruthless mentality. The first 10 minutes were like a chess match, and if we concede a goal like that in 40 seconds, the game becomes much harder.
"Huddersfield Town probably only had three chances in the first half but scored three goals. That's the ruthless mentality I keep emphasizing to the lads. They have to learn from this, they have to learn to deal with that ruthless mentality."
Page added: "In the first half, we didn't deal with things well in the final third, but in the second half, we adjusted slightly, and I thought we controlled the game for a period. However, as soon as they got an opportunity, they were ruthless and scored directly.
"This is a great learning experience for the players, and that's why we participate in this competition. We want them to be exposed to players at the top of League One.
"I can accept the manner of this defeat because our effort was incredible. We also need to be a bit smarter, which will make us better as a team and individually. We just lost to a better team, and that's okay."
Left-back Clae Ewing came off the bench in the second half, making his first appearance since April. Page hopes to arrange more games in the next two months, as the U21s only have two scheduled Premier League 2 matches left this season.
Page said: "We need friendly matches because people like Clae need to build on the playing time they've just had, and some players in the squad also need game time.
"We still have the UEFA Youth League, which both the U18s and U21s will participate in, and we'll play a friendly against Paris FC in December, but we still need to arrange a few more friendly matches to maintain momentum."