Liverpool could have been forgiven for thinking their priorities lay elsewhere as they entered last Sunday’s FA Cup tie away to Arsenal. Despite being without their captain Virgil van Dijk, superstar forward Mo Salah and December Player of the Month Wataru Endo, the Reds held firm under heavy pressure from the home side, eventually winning 2-0. The victory sees them take on either Norwich City or Bristol Rovers in the next round.
They are also involved in domestic cup action tonight as they welcome Fulham to Anfield in the EFL Cup semi-final first leg. Despite the unwelcome news that Trent Alexander-Arnold is set for a short spell on the sidelines, Jürgen Klopp’s men will kick off as favourites to win a record-extending tenth League Cup.
The Mighty Reds are also safely through to the last 16 of the Europa League and sit three points clear of Aston Villa at the summit of the Premier League table. Is it too early to talk of a possible quadruple? Or should the fans – and more importantly – the players ‘dream big’ and try to win the lot?
On the latest episode of our Journo Insight show, experienced LFC reporter Neil Jones gave his thoughts on the club’s hopes for the rest of the season.
Do Liverpool have a squad capable of challenging for a quadruple?
“Whether Liverpool go on and win the FA Cup or not, I still think that was a very important win because it’s further evidence of this team’s growth.
“It’s a serious team. It’s very hard to beat and now has shown it can beat very good sides as well. They’re in good shape.
“They’re in a good position in the league. They’ll be favourites for the Europa League. They are in better shape than they were two years ago when they came so close. They’re in better shape now – than that – in terms of the league position.
“There’s definitely a chance that we’re going to have some very exciting times in the next three, four months. How it all ends up, we’ll wait and see.
“There’s every chance they can end up with nothing, there’s every chance they could end up with one, two, three. The fact that four is even on the agenda just tells you exactly how well they’ve done in the first months of this season.
“Whatever ‘it’ is, they’ve got it at this moment in time. They don’t fall into that trap of excuses or prioritising competitions. They behave like a big team and a big club, and good on them.
“If you do aim high, then it gives you the chance of achieving big things.”
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Redmen Reacts
After the massive disappointment of last season and with the club having fallen just short in their 2021/22 quadruple attempt, it is heartening to see a Liverpool side exhibit some of the qualities that have been present in the best Jürgen Klopp teams. The Reds have shown great maturity and togetherness in recent weeks, coming through a tricky Christmas period unbeaten despite a growing injury list.
A quadruple seems an unlikely prospect, but with no side running away with the Premier League, at least staying in the title race looks possible given that LFC’s rivals have all dropped unexpected points so far this season. The next month looks like a tricky hurdle to overcome unscathed – some of the club’s academy players may be forced to deputise until Andy Robertson, Kostas Tsimikas and Trent Alexander-Arnold return. Liverpool go into 2024 in an enviable position, despite many fans and pundits alike saying they have not ‘played well’ for much of this season. Imagine how good they will be if they do!
