Andoni Iraola has made it clear that Liverpool will not be treating the Carabao Cup as a competition they can afford to take lightly.
Asked about the importance of the competition, Iraola insisted that there is no point ranking the different trophies and deciding in advance which ones matter more.
“It’s not about ranking the competitions. They are different.”
And that is exactly the attitude Liverpool supporters will want to hear.
Of course, if you were given the choice between winning the Champions League, the Premier League or the Carabao Cup, most supporters would naturally put the major honours at the top of the list.
But football doesn’t work that way.
Resting key players for one competition doesn’t guarantee that you will win the next game. Likewise, deciding that a cup tie is less important can quickly come back to bite you.
Iraola’s message is simple: Liverpool are going into the game to win.
“We want to win and play well, and that’s what we are going to try tomorrow.”
That doesn’t necessarily mean we will see Liverpool’s strongest possible XI from the first minute. With a demanding fixture schedule, changes are inevitable and this is exactly the sort of game where players such as Lewis Koumas, Trey Nyoni, Wataru Endo, Jeremie Frimpong, Cody Gakpo and goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili could get an opportunity.
But there is a big difference between rotating the squad and not taking the competition seriously.
Liverpool have had plenty of disappointing cup exits in recent years, and with the Premier League and Champions League providing such a demanding challenge, the domestic cups could offer Iraola a realistic opportunity to deliver silverware while also giving some of his squad players valuable minutes.
The Carabao Cup might not carry the prestige of the Champions League or Premier League.
But it is still a trophy.
And if Liverpool are going to have a successful season under Iraola, there is no reason why they shouldn’t try to win every competition they enter.
Iraola’s stance is absolutely right — don’t rank the competitions, just go out there and win the game in front of you.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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