Liverpool’s relationship with the League Cup is one that deserves to be the envy of the rest of England.
Eight times the Reds have won the competition, and for a long while no club ever got near their trophy haul in the tournament.
That all changed on Sunday when Manchester City won for the tournament for the fourth consecutive season, matching a record Liverpool held in the 1980s.
It also was the eighth time that City have won the competition in their history, matching Liverpool as record winners in England.
While it’s true that the League Cup has become arguably the lowest priority for football clubs in recent years, there is still some merit in winning the competition.
It can be the base of a team’s success. The stepping stone to greater things. A spark that can lift a side before the crucial run-in.
Liverpool should know that themselves from their triumphs four decades ago, and now Man City are replicating them.
In the early rounds of the League Cup, now the Carabao Cup I should say, top flight teams don’t usually put their strongest line-ups out.
Take Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp as an example. How many times have we seen heavily changed line-ups to give players a rest?
It was the case against both Lincoln City and Arsenal this season, but for last year against Aston Villa it was an understandable situation given it coincided with the Club World Cup.
There are two sides of the coin when it comes to this, and it all depends on which side you fall on.
On one hand the League Cup is the lowest priority compared to the Premier League and Champions League, and so is used to give the regular starters some time off.
Then on the other side you’ve got where Man City are and take the competition seriously from the start, using most of your best players right throughout the competition.
Of course, many will argue that Man City have more high quality players to choose from than Liverpool, so the drop off is not so significant. That is partly a fair assessment.
Still, the point of this is that the League Cup can pave the way for a team’s success for the rest of the season and beyond.
It can give a club and a team the winning mentality needed to get over the line in the big games.
Liverpool have proved over the last two or three years that they thrive in these situations, but they have not got past even the quarter-final stage of the League Cup since the 2016/17 season.
Next season could change things for Liverpool. A place in the Champions League is looking less likely with each passing game, so could that change Klopp’s priorities?
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If Liverpool are in the Europa League, or the brand-spanking new Europa Conference League, Klopp may feel that winning the League Cup goes up in his priority list.
When it comes down to it, football is about winning trophies. Liverpool cannot afford to let another League Cup campaign dwindle into nothing again without giving themselves a fair chance of getting to the final.
It used to be the case that the FA Cup wasn’t too high on the priority list either, but that changed this season.
Klopp fielded a near-full strength side against Manchester United, but despite losing the game the intent was there to progress.
Could we see that in the League Cup next year? It’s not the worst idea in the world, but it all depends how Klopp and his staff want to play it.
If Liverpool give the League Cup a real go next year and actually lift the trophy, it could help instil the winning mentality which has been lacking for much of this campaign.
