Topic: Match Preview: EFL Cup Leicester v Liverpool FC @ the King Power 19/9/17 7.45

[Sarge]

This is a good game for Phil and Dan to get some game time, can see both starting.

[David Struhme]

Liverpool exists to win trophies, or at least that's what I thought we were led to believe? Yet some people would be quite happy to get knocked out tomorrow so we can concentrate on the league and CL, both of which we have next to zero chance of winning? This is our best chance of a trophy this year and whilst I agree that there should be some rotation needed, we should put out a team that is capable of beating Leicester.

Those same people saying they'd be ok to prioritise the CL and league will be the same people at the end of the season throwing it back in the managers face at the end of the season if he doesn't win a trophy this season.

We need to win tomorrow. End of.

Well said. Completely agree

[-Daws-]

I can only speak for myself, but I can honestly say I won't be throwing it back in the manager's face come season's end if we don't win a trophy. I prefer it when we win stuff, just like everyone, but if we don't it won't bother me hugely - for me getting top four is more important as it increases our chances of success in the long term. Maybe this is the wrong attitude to take, I don't know, but expecting us to win something every year just doesn't seem realistic anymore.

Ah I dunno pal. I'd take 5th and winning the Champions League

I think most managers see the domestic cups as an opportunity to rest key players, blood in youngsters and get match fitness for those who need it. Winning is of course great and cup finals are brilliant days out, but finishing fourth and winning one once every few years becomes tiresome, ask Arsenal.

To really attract attention these days you need to be in the Champions League year in year out and going deep in the competition, as well as challenging for top honours domestically. Oh and a shit load of cash in a high profile league.

[Djozer]

Ah I dunno pal. I'd take 5th and winning the Champions League

A fair point.

[JackWard33]

Why do people who are enthusiastic about this competition rattle on about winning trophies? We're 6 games (or whatever) and 4 months from winning it
It's such a simplistic argument to go 'we exist to win trophies equals we should play our first teamers in the early rounds of the league cup' as if there are no other factors in the decision or all games or competitions should be perceived as or are equal.

[gregorio]

Our first team squad should be nowhere near selection for this competition. It should be used exclusively for youth, fringe players and 1st team squad players who require playing time. Only time the 1st team squad get a look in is for the final itself (even the- it will depend who our Champs league opponents in the midweek is. Circumstances may dictate who plays.)
Semis in January is an absolute nightmare and hugely demanding on the first team squad.

There are 4 trophies we can win this year so I'd like to see us with a  stronger selection than the above

Which is our best chance of getting Klopp up and running ? We don't have the luxury of treating the domestic cups with disdain . I'm still fuming from the pisspoor showing at home against Wolves last year

Coutinho needs to play himself into form , would like to see how AOC can link up with him and Woodburn would be nice

 Let's stop the mini-slump and hammer these

[gregorio]

This is a good game for Phil and Dan to get some game time, can see both starting.

Throw Woodburn in and we should have some fun

[liversaint]

I hope Jurgen puts out a team of U23s, U18s, apprentices, tea ladies, etc. If he plays anyone who's stepped on the pitch in the league so far this season I'll be fuming.

And that should be the policy until we get knocked out of this pointless competition. The last thing we need this season is more games, especially in November and December, which is ridiculously busy.

Well, I am glad you are not picking the team. Several players were rested at the weekend and I want us to win the fucking thing.

Pick a team to win tomorrow and see what the draw brings.

[liversaint]

Liverpool exists to win trophies, or at least that's what I thought we were led to believe? Yet some people would be quite happy to get knocked out tomorrow so we can concentrate on the league and CL, both of which we have next to zero chance of winning? This is our best chance of a trophy this year and whilst I agree that there should be some rotation needed, we should put out a team that is capable of beating Leicester.

Those same people saying they'd be ok to prioritise the CL and league will be the same people at the end of the season throwing it back in the managers face at the end of the season if he doesn't win a trophy this season.

We need to win tomorrow. End of. 

Nail on head. All this bollocks about effectively sacking it off drives me mad.

[slaphead]

Looking forward to seeing Grujic tomorrow night. I don't know exactly why, but I think this lad has something about him that could develop into something outstanding.

[istvan kozma]

Liverpool exists to win trophies, or at least that's what I thought we were led to believe? Yet some people would be quite happy to get knocked out tomorrow so we can concentrate on the league and CL, both of which we have next to zero chance of winning? This is our best chance of a trophy this year and whilst I agree that there should be some rotation needed, we should put out a team that is capable of beating Leicester.

Those same people saying they'd be ok to prioritise the CL and league will be the same people at the end of the season throwing it back in the managers face at the end of the season if he doesn't win a trophy this season.

We need to win tomorrow. End of.

Lol your post is totally contradictive, "LFC exists to win trophies", "LFC have next to zero chance of winning the league or the CL"
It's the 18th of September, too early for the navel gazing.

[gregorio]

Not really, League Cup ir whatever the fuck it's called is a really good chance to win something

If they want an energy drink should go back to calling it the Milk Cup, will remind us all of when we took it seriously even ( or maybe especially) when we were winning leagues

[gregorio]

Not really, League Cup ir whatever the fuck it's called is a really good chance to win something

If they want an energy drink should go back to calling it the Milk Cup, will remind us all of when we took it seriously even ( or maybe especially) when we were winning leagues

Ha ha, spelt it right by chance and got auto-corrected 😀

[JackWard33]

Not really, League Cup ir whatever the fuck it's called is a really good chance to win something

If they want an energy drink should go back to calling it the Milk Cup, will remind us all of when we took it seriously even ( or maybe especially) when we were winning leagues

Back when we had the biggest budget in the country and there was no european cup group stage you mean...back then?

[gregorio]

Back when we had the biggest budget in the country and there was no european cup group stage you mean...back then?

That's right, back when we had a squad of 20 players , back then

[istvan kozma]

Back when we had the biggest budget in the country and there was no european cup group stage you mean...back then?

LFC have never had the biggest budget in the Country.

[JackWard33]

That's right, back when we had a squad of 20 players , back then

sorry are we pretending the demands on the players are same? are we also living in a world where our competitors won't rest their players as well?
this whole debate takes place in a world that doesn't exist... a world where a team can effectively compete in 4 competitions. Doesn't exist. You have to prioritise

[gregorio]

sorry are we pretending the demands on the players are same? are we also living in a world where our competitors won't rest their players as well?
this whole debate takes place in a world that doesn't exist... a world where a team can effectively compete in 4 competitions. Doesn't exist. You have to prioritise

No, which is why the squad is at 30+

The demands may be different , but so is the way the players are looked after

[Garnier]

a win without major injury concerns would be an ideal scenario.

Expect both teams to rotate a bit, but eventually we have better back up players than Leicester

----------Ward------
Flanno-Lovren-Klavan-Robertson
------------Hendo-----
-----Milner---------Gini
AOC----Solanke-----Woodburn

1-2 to Liverpool. Oxlade-Chamberlain to score bold

[Number 7]

I'm going to be a bit bullish here and say we put a lot in to this competition the last 2 years and ended up with nothing on both occasions. The final two years ago, and the semi final last year. Last year was draining on the team because had we have not had to play a ridiculous two legged semi final (in which we were utterly useless in both games) we may have fared better with our league form in January.

Have to side with those people who say we should not field a strong side. We have a big game coming up on Saturday against these lot and then a CL game in Moscow midweek. Play the youth players and some fringe players sure as they need to play as well. But players like Salah, Firmino, Hendo, Can, Matip, Moreno, Gini, Phil, Mané (banned anyway) should be nowhere near the first 11.

It's surprising how some people have given up on the league already citing this as our best chance of winning a trophy. There are 33 games left to play in the league.

[stevensr123]

We need to start winning shit. Often winning breeds more trophies and a greater winning mentality.

We are far more likely to win this or the FA cup than we are winning the champions league or the league this year.

We should be doing our upmost to win this thing. We don't have the winning history the last ten years to scoff at this competition.

[LiverBirdKop]

At this point we're in four competitions in theory. My heart tells me even winning one would make it a "successful" season.

Let's concentrate on getting better. Our defense as a whole is not good enough to win anything but maybe the league cup. Maybe.

[Funky_Gibbons]

Oliver Bond‏

Philippe Coutinho will start for Liverpool this evening.

[killer-heels]

Oliver Bond‏

Philippe Coutinho will start for Liverpool this evening.

Makes sense. Takes him an age to get back into form so this could quicken it. Also think Robertson, Milner and Sturridge should start. Maybe a diamond with Solanke up front.

[dangerpuss]

Must win game, lads. We must also keep a clean sheet and score 4 or I will be fuming. I might even whistle at my at TV.

They should rename it the Mickey Mouse cup and have Goofy refereeing it. He'd do a better job than the clowns they have in the Premier League.

[RogerTheRed]

Come on Redmen!!
Looks like being a decent starting X1 and so think we should win this. Solanke up front with AOC and Woodburn for me. Phil, Grujic + 1 in midfield.

[Pistolero]

Oliver Bond‏

Philippe Coutinho will start for Liverpool this evening.

I hope Filbert Fox has got a hard hat at the ready...

[SP]

Why do people who are enthusiastic about this competition rattle on about winning trophies? We're 6 games (or whatever) and 4 months from winning it
It's such a simplistic argument to go 'we exist to win trophies equals we should play our first teamers in the early rounds of the league cup' as if there are no other factors in the decision or all games or competitions should be perceived as or are equal.

You are arguing by bizarre absolute. We should neither play our strongest team, nor sack it off completely. We should play a team strong enough to win, whilst taking the opportunity to give fringe and young players some game time, but still retain enough of the first team squad to avoid playing like strangers.

[lessthanmatt]

Of the four trophies that count for anything (FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League, Premiership) it's by far the least respected. It still counts for something though. A reminder that our trophy cabinet for the last TEN YEARS has a solitary league cup in it. We're not better without the league cup... yes we will rest or rotate players but we still go to win. Our squad is big enough (it really is) to play these maximum six extra games competitively

[MattyBoy21]

Looking forward to this. Excited to see a few players get some game time, especially Woodburn, Solanke, Ward, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Grujic.

Coutinho should definitely be starting this one too. Needs to shake off the cobwebs and get his match fitness back asap.

Ward
Gomez Klavan Lovren Robertson
Grujic Milner Coutinho
AOC Solanke Woodburn

[The North Bank]

Of the four trophies that count for anything (FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League, Premiership) it's by far the least respected. It still counts for something though. A reminder that our trophy cabinet for the last TEN YEARS has a solitary league cup in it. We're not better without the league cup... yes we will rest or rotate players but we still go to win. Our squad is big enough (it really is) to play these maximum six extra games competitively

People remember how many trophies you won a lot more than they'll ever remember how many times you get top 4. Also in in the case of Liverpool especially, I think a trophy will give you a lot of confidence, and you are a confidence team, so it could be the first of many.
If you win here you could get get a far easier tie next round so rotate accordingly, but I don't see how effectively binning a competition helps.
Anyone knows if this is on sky tonight ?

[dangerpuss]

It's on Sky.

[Glen C]

Really hope the likes of Woodburn and Solanke get to start tonight.  Hoping to see:

--------------------------ward---------------------------
flanno----------gomez---------lovren-----------robertson
------Grujic------------Milner---------Coutinho---------
-------Ox-----------Solanke-----------Woodburn---------

[Red78]

100% on Sky. Build up starts at 7.30pm.

[Ray K]

People remember how many trophies you won a lot more than they'll ever remember how many times you get top 4. Also in in the case of Liverpool especially, I think a trophy will give you a lot of confidence, and you are a confidence team, so it could be the first of many.

The league cup in 2012 was fuck all help to us.  I enjoyed it (apart from Adam's penalty), but it has no long-term bearing on where the club is going.

The last time we reached the final of this thing and finished in the top 4 was 2001.  It's almost like - and hear me out - the extra games in this thing are actually detrimental to our league position.

[LallanaInPyjamas]

I agree broadly with your other points in this post, but the pedantic side of me had to pick this bit out. Gomez is 6'2, Klavan is listed as being actually a tad shorter than him. 6'2 in this league is no midget. Lovren is listed as 6'2 as well. I don't think Klopp will be reticent to play Gomez at centre back due to his height or any lack of it.

It isn't always about height either. Matip is 6'5 but doesn't seem to be able to jump very high, and indeed sometimes he doesn't jump at all. So his height doesn't work in his favour that way, whereas a defender who is just 6 foot tall might be very athletic and be able to leap like a salmon. For what it's worth, I do hope we give Gomez a shot at centre back tomorrow and if he performs well I don't see any reason not to play him in the weekend's fixture.

I agree that height isn't everything and actually a leap/spring is just as important - Lovren is a lot better in the air than Matip despite being a couple of inches shorter for example - but I don't think Gomez is quite as tall as Lovren. I'd be surprised if Gomez is taller than 6ft1 and from what I've seen of him, he hasn't got an impressive jump on him either really.

Inaccurate height listings are quickly becoming my biggest gripe with football. There should be an onus on football clubs to be 99% accurate. Weight is obviously different as it can fluctuate.

Also something to note here: I think posture is incredibly important for centre-backs. Let's say Lovren is one inch taller than Gomez, in reality it's more like two or three because his posture is very good which probably helps his jump, whereas if you watch Gomez, Klavan and to a lesser extent Matip, they're all a bit more 'squat'. They're automatically losing an inch or two in height as a result.

[The North Bank]

The league cup in 2012 was fuck all help to us.  I enjoyed it (apart from Adam's penalty), but it has no long-term bearing on where the club is going.

The last time we reached the final of this thing and finished in the top 4 was 2001.  It's almost like - and hear me out - the extra games in this thing are actually detrimental to our league position.

A trophy when you're on the up like now will do a lot more than a trophy when you're generally going going nowhere (like Arsenal). I think you need a trophy as part of your progression, it would be another milestone achieved.

[Danny Boy]

Presumably all those that are happy for us to bin the domestic cup competitions won't take part in the inevitable scramble for tickets if we were to make it to the final! 

[Sudden Death Draft Loser]

A trophy when you're on the up like now will do a lot more than a trophy when you're generally going going nowhere (like Arsenal). I think you need a trophy as part of your progression, it would be another milestone achieved.

Totally agree. Somewhat ironic that a fan of another club sees this, while many of our own don't. Winning any trophy this season will do wonders for the squad, the fans an the club in general.

[Funky_Gibbons]

The league cup in 2012 was fuck all help to us.  I enjoyed it (apart from Adam's penalty), but it has no long-term bearing on where the club is going.

The last time we reached the final of this thing and finished in the top 4 was 2001.  It's almost like - and hear me out - the extra games in this thing are actually detrimental to our league position.

And yet in 2001 we won this trophy before going on to win the FA Cup, UEFA Cup and finishing third in the league. Almost as if winning that trophy gave us the belief and confidence to improve...........

We've won one trophy in the last ten years so haven't had the 'distraction' of the cup games in nine seasons yet we haven't finished top four in each of those seasons so it's hard to make any correlation between too many cup games and finishing top four.