Destiny’s choice for Reds and Blues

 

If we don’t know – we never know – which Chelsea side is going to turn up for Sunday’s Carabao Cup final, we can now say the same about Liverpool.

The reasons, of course, are very different: where inconsistency is in the Blues’ DNA, the Reds are ravaged by injuries.

In fact, they have so many casualties that Jurgen Klopp could name as impressive a line-up from his absentees as from those available.

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Bajcetic, Tsimikas; Szoboszlai, Thiago, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Jota.

That would have been the non-playing side he could have picked last night.

Not the ideal starting XI but a 4-3-3 formation decent enough to give the able-bodied a run for their bonuses.

Yes, Liverpool do have depth but for the 4-1 home win against Luton, they had five teenagers on the bench. And three came on.

Fortunately for them, the league leaders appear to have come through not only unscathed but heartened by a rousing second-half performance.

There’s a chance that Mo Salah and/or Darwin Nunez might play at Wembley, but the bench will still feel like it’s made of flimsy plywood.

For their part, Chelsea have so many players they probably need safe standing!

Worryingly for Liverpool, some of them have started to click and the Reds really don’t know what to expect.

Will it be the limp opposition that rolled over for a 4-1 Anfield thrashing at the end of January?

The doughty defenders that held off City last weekend?

Or the unstoppable six-hitters who hammered Middlesbrough in the semi-final home leg?

We can go back a lot further and still not be sure which type of Chelsea side will line up for the most frequently-played domestic cup final between two English clubs.

Two seasons ago they met in both finals (FA Cup as well as Carabao Cup), and both times it was 0-0 with Liverpool winning on penalties.

In recent years, there’s not been a lot to choose between them as four consecutive goalless draws suggests.

It could be close again as there is an awful lot riding on this game.

For the Reds, this first leg of an unimaginable quadruple is part of a plan to give Jurgen Klopp a rousing, trophy-laden send-off.

With Manchester City not quite as sure-footed as last season, the league remains a fervent wish and would be a fitting climax to Klopp’s glorious reign.

There’s still the FA Cup and the Reds are favourites for the UEFA Cup, the one trophy the German has never captured.

But successive injury crises are threatening to derail Liverpool’s best-laid plans.

Just when Andy Robertson, Diogo Jota and Alexander-Arnold came back, Alisson, Curtis Jones, Mo Salah, Nunez and Jota again picked up knocks and niggles.

The question is: can they cope? The Luton game was the start of a run that could see them play 26 games in 99 days.

In March, there’ll be a seven-game run in 21 days. No wonder Klopp called for Anfield to deliver “one of its European nights in the English league.”

After a fretful first half when Luton took the lead, the fans responded and the roar, now from 60,000, sent shivers down their opponents’ spines.

Another advantage, Liverpool have is that they’ve been here before – when they chased the quad to the last 10 minutes of another ultra-marathon campaign in 2022.

By blooding precocious youngsters, Klopp has lowered the average age of the squad.

A key difference between today and two seasons ago, is that the fringe players may have the legs and quality to play an important supporting role.

Already, two future stars have emerged this season in Jarell Quansah and Conor Bradley to follow the arrival of Stefan Bajcetic in 2022-23.

An adductor injury has prevented the Spaniard from following his exciting breakthrough campaign, but the latest pair may not be the last to come off the academy production line.

Jayden Danns looks another likely lad and his pass that led to Harvey Elliott’s fourth goals was a jewel.

But no matter how promising the kids may appear, experience will be needed to navigate the business end of the season, starting with the ides of March. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.