Gerard Houllier has enthused about the pair ever since he first went to watch them star for France in a FIFA under-17 tournament and now we know why. Of course, it's still early days but potential of both was clear to see as Liverpool's preparations for the new season continued with a 1-1 draw against First Division Crewe Alexandra.
Le Tallec played just 46 minutes, while his Pongolle managed only 26 minutes but that was all we needed to see of them to know why the Anfield boss describes them as gems.
Le Tallec's creative midfield play was a joy to watch. His passing and awareness were of a very high standard and despite his slim build he was not afraid to get stuck in. As for Pongolle, the so-called 'Little Bomb' almost made an explosive start to his Liverpool career when he struck the post just nine minutes after coming on. He'll no doubt be disappointed with himself for not converting from six-yards out but in the short space of time he was on the field he looked sharp and equally as exciting as his young compatriot.
As for the actual match. How Liverpool did not win this one by at least ten clear goals remains a mystery.
The Reds surprisingly fell behind on 19 minutes. David Wright crossed from the right and David Vaughan rose to glance a header past the out coming Dudek. It was a goal that came totally against the run of play, for Liverpool had dominated the opening stages and they continued to do so despite the setback of conceding.
Crewe keeper Clayton Ince was in inspired form to deny Milan Baros on countless occasions while the width of the Gresty Road cross bar twice denied Harry Kewell his first goal in a Liverpool shirt.
In his first appearance for the club on English soil Kewell, occupying a central position just behind the front two, showed glimpses of why his arrival at Anfield as caused so much excitement among Liverpool fans. With some delightful touches of skill and eye-catching forward runs he looked a constant threat but the half ended on a worrying note as he pulled up with what looked to be an ankle injury and was immediately withdrawn from the action.
Moments after Kewell left the field Liverpool finally drew level with a goal their first half performance fully deserved. Not surprisingly it was Michael Owen who got his name on the scoresheet again. After seeing an earlier chance superbly kept out by a low diving save from Ince he made no mistake with a close-range header at the far post following a corner on the right by Riise.
As on Wednesday, wholesale changes were made at the break but Liverpool maintained their rhythm and continued to lay siege to the Crewe goal. There was no beating Ince, however, who continued to amaze with a series of outstanding saves and even when he was beaten the Crewe net led a charmed life, with Pongolle and Heskey both being denied by the upright.
People might look upon this result as disappointing but the scoreline is of little importance at this stage of pre-season. The performance is what matters and this was an impressive display and a useful run-out for every player involved. Not least the two French gems. Expect to be hearing a lot more about them in the coming months.
Teams
1sts half
Crewe Alexandra: Ince, Wright, Walker, Foster, McCreedy, Bell, Rix, Brammer, Vaughan, Jones, Ashton. Subs - MaCauley, Smith, Moses, Karagianis, Robinson, Edwards, Varney.
Liverpool: (1st half) Dudek, Babbel, Riise, Hyypia, Carragher, Murphy (captain), Hamann, Kewell, Smicer, Owen, Baros.
Liverpool: (2nd half) Kirkland, Diao, Vignal, Henchoz, Traore, Gerrard (captain), Cheyrou, Le Tallec, Diouf, Heskey, Pongolle.
Subs - Luzi, Mellor.
Referee: Tony Bates
Conditions: Warm and dry but slightly overcast.
Attendance: 10,500
Liverpoolfc.tv Man-of-the-Match: First half - Harry Kewell, Second half - Anthony Le Tallec.