Given last weekend's debut of "Being: Liverpool," we're already aware that dramatic things are happening with the lads from Anfield. Thursday's Europa League game at Young Boys of Bern fit with that made-for-TV vibe: eight goals, a 5-3 road win and plenty of positives for Brendan Rodgers.

Tactically, the game was a mess -- speed, chivalrous attacking and raw talent prevailed over such things as smart defending, spatial awareness and controlled possession. Rodgers' teenage reserves, with Jamie Carragher as creche commander-in-chief, were a beguiling mixed bag of step-overs, solo brilliance and rookie mistakes. All eight goals would have tacticians torching their chalkboards, such was the mania of it all. (Young Boys of Bern, to their credit, had a bit more forethought to their play yet still lacked the discipline to defeat a largely inexperienced and nervous XI.)

But beyond the analysis, there was proof of Brendan's madness/genius. Under Roy Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish, Europa League games were an arduous chore. They were opportunities for hapless ne'er-do-wells like Jay Spearing, Christian Poulsen, David N'Gog and Joe Cole to amble around for 90 minutes with little zest. Results were numbingly ground out and, in some cases, barely contested.

Already, Rodgers is using them differently and to greater overall effect. Once the Reds scraped by the skin of their Martin Skrtels into the group stage, the promising crop of long-overlooked reserves was drafted in and given a chance to shine. (Sunday's massive game may have played a part in this, but let's keep going.) Players like Dani Pacheco, Suso, Andre Wisdom (the latter pair getting their first team debuts) were given ample minutes to experience top-level soccer, the prize they've been theoretically working toward over the past few seasons.

Hodgson and Dalglish were seemingly loath to promote from within, at least by comparison to Rodgers thus far. Whether that's symptomatic of the new boss having fewer resources and even fewer options or not is another matter; what counts is that these youngsters, when called upon, didn't let him down.

Nor did those in-betweeners who have bridged the gap to the senior squad but are yet to regularly feature. Jonjo Shelvey's breezy, 24-minute cameo yielded two wonderful goals and sparked inescapable comparisons to Steven Gerrard, the man he'll surely soon replace in midfield. Fabio Borini has labored in the Prem but showed plenty of intelligence coming off the bench on the hour mark. Loanee Nuri Sahin also impressed in the center of midfield, gently easing into game pace with a composed performance.

Yes, there were moments of extreme farce -- Liverpool's opener, for example, a ludicrous defensive header that pinged off another YB center back and in -- but Rodgers will care little about the final score, nor the manner in which it was achieved.

What counts is that Thursday's absurdities served as valuable time for Liverpool's supposed next wave. Also, a bit of friendly competition within the first team, most of whom were obviously rested for the upcoming grudge match versus Manchester United.

Results like this can galvanize an ailing squad. Will it happen at Anfield?