Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insisted it is “crazy” to even think about winning an unprecedented quadruple after his side beat Chelsea 11-10 on penalties to win their ninth League Cup and fifth trophy under his management.
The Reds came close in 1983-84, when they won the First Division, League Cup and European Cup, before losing 2-0 to Brighton in the fourth round of the FA Cup. In 2000-2001, they won another three trophies – the FA Cup, League Cup and Uefa Cup – but only came third in the Premier League.
“No team in the history of English football has won the quadruple, right? That is because it is incredibly difficult,” said Klopp. “We are still behind Manchester City [in the Premier League]. We are not close to thinking about any crazy stuff like that.
“The only team who could get is us because we won the first final but even City, with all the quality they have in the last years, couldn’t win the quadruple. That says pretty much everything. It is really difficult and that is why nobody has to dampen any kind of excitement.
“The reality to win something is you have to be focused on the next step and not the one after that because if you do that you will struggle. We are close to nothing at the moment. It is better people think we can do good things than we are useless but it is not important or helpful.”
Sunday’s win over Chelsea broke Klopp’s personal duck at Wembley – but could it kickstart a trophy spree?
Premier League
Sky Bet odds: 3-1
Liverpool trail six points behind leaders Manchester City but do have a game in hand. Pep Guardiola’s men narrowly avoided a draw against Everton last time out after VAR declined the Toffees a penalty after Rodri used his upper arm to control a bouncing ball.
That moment could be brought up again and again if it plays a part in another Premier League title win for City, if Klopp is unable to knock them out of pole position.
The two clubs face one another on 10 April, but Liverpool have not won in the league at the Etihad since November 2015. No doubt that fixture will be at the back of everyone’s mind at Anfield, but to reap the benefits of a potential win against City they must keep a near spotless record for five games, a run which includes fixtures against Arsenal and Manchester United.
Champions League
Sky Bet odds: 4-1
Klopp has one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals after his 50th win in the competition, which came at the San Siro against Inter Milan. There is no room for complacency, though, despite the abolition of away goals.
Ivan Perisic and Lautaro Martinez will pose a major threat when Inter travel to Merseyside on 8 March. If the Reds proceed to the next round, they will have to wait until the Champions League quarter final draw on 18 March to find out their quarter-final opponents.
With Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich all still standing, Liverpool will have their work cut out.
FA Cup
Sky Bet odds: 4-1
Liverpool host Norwich City in the FA Cup fifth round on 2 March – a fixture expected to be plain sailing as demonstrated by their 3-1 win earlier this month against the Canaries.
Under Klopp, this is just the second time that Liverpool have progressed to the fifth round, the last coming in 2019-20 when they were knocked out by Chelsea.
Other big hitters remain in the 150-year-old tournament including league-leaders City and Club World Cup winners Chelsea, who have proved to be a tough test for Liverpool not only in the Carabao Cup final but also in the Premier League.
from Football | News and analysis from the Premier League and beyond | iNews https://ift.tt/VwC7bW1
Post a Comment