So after the final whistle at Craven Cottage, Klopp decided not to deliver his trademark three-fisted pump, often remembered for the Liverpool incident. Of course, Liverpool didn’t win that night, but the 1-1 draw was enough to set up another final against Chelsea, who won the League and FA Cup in 2022 and the UEFA Super Cup in August 2019.
But the Liverpool manager knows he has no time to dwell on the matter. Not when you’re busy. Chelsea arrive at Anfield three days after Norwich and it’s another trip to Arsenal as the Premier League title race takes precedence. But if the schedule is relentless, so is Liverpool.”There’s a reason they’re top of the league,” Fulham manager Marco Silva said. “They are a very stable team, regardless of the competition in which they play. I felt they were much calmer than us. “It was a different game for them.”This silence is worth nothing. Remember, this is Liverpool’s starting line-up where only two players – Luis Diaz and Virgil van Dijk – were over 26, and 20-year-olds Jarrell Quansah and Conor Bradley had just one start red each other before the match.
The beginning of the campaign. The addition of summer signings Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis McAllister has made it clear that this is a new side, having only featured three players in the League Cup final two years ago. Of course, the likes of Andy Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah are expected to be involved in Liverpool’s 10th final under Klopp on February 25, and their experience – and even talent – will be important.
But Liverpool’s record of just one defeat in 27 home games this season – even a controversial VAR defeat at Tottenham Hotspur – implies an almost constant state of flux in terms of the availability of options. That this absence hasn’t become a major talking point speaks volumes for the role of the supporting cast in a valuable lead role.
Following Wednesday night’s League Cup semi-final second leg against Fulham, Klopp met the media again at the AXA Training Center on Thursday afternoon to preview this weekend’s FA Cup fourth round tie against Championship side Norwich City. Enemy names can be changed, but missions cannot. With every game, it feels like Liverpool are gearing up for a business-like end to the season.
