FA Cup exit - a blessing in disguise?

Given the fact that Jurgen Klopp has not yet won a trophy in his three and a half years at the club, it did seem a strange decision to play a second-string side against Wolverhampton Wonderers last month. Liverpool had already been knocked out of the League Cup this season and with much stronger squad depth in comparison to previous years, Liverpool were fully capable of fighting on 3 fronts this season.

Although the FA Cup may not have been Jurgen Klopp’s priority, the German could have fielded a slightly stronger team at the Molineux. Curtis Jones, Alberto Moreno and Rafael Camacho were all given rare starts whilst Liverpool used a make shift defence with Fabinho playing alongside Dejan Lovren at the back. Mohammed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino were all left on the bench and Virgil Van Dijk was left at home.

However, with Liverpool fighting for the title with 12 games remaining and a last 16 tie against the German champions Bayern Munich coming up, the teams exit from the FA Cup may be seen as a positive when looked back upon at the end of the season. Even though there is no pressure on Klopp, he will know himself that he needs to start winning trophies with Liverpool after a few successive final defeats.