If we go deep into the CL i dont think fans will care about this.
What if we get to the European Cup Final again? There'll be a nasty fortnight of doing nothing before we play in Istanbul. In Kiev it was a problem apparently. I think even Klopp said so. Two weeks without a proper match and the intensity lowered. The players were knackered in the second half of the final. Last season, a week before we took on Spurs in Madrid, Klopp organised an indoors match against a Portuguese team and paid them to play at high intensity. It kept the players on their mettle.
Well...if you're with me so far, what better way to prepare for another European Cup Final than have an FA Cup Final a week before?
Which brings me round to this winter's break we're having. I wonder if we'll return a bit jaded? Three weeks ago Jurgen explained away our tepid performance against Spurs by saying that the players had lost their rhythm. Why? Apparently because they'd been used to playing twice a week and had suffered in only playing once that week. Counter-intuitive, I thought. But there you go.
We weren't playing enough football. That doesn't bode well for the winter break.
Here's a solution. Let seven or so of the first team squad play against Shrewsbury in the replay. I'm thinking of the seven who have hardly played any football this year (2020) and would be grateful for the minutes (Keita, Fabinho, Minamino, Lallana, Matip, Lovren, Jones etc). That way they don't get even more match-unfit cooling their heels on a winter's break. That way we get through to the next round of the FA Cup. That way we keep open the possibility that we get to play at Wembley in May as a training exercise for the big one in Istanbul.
Even if you despise the FA, and think the FA Cup is a Mickey Mouse trophy, I'd have thought that this strategy might appeal to you.