Liverpool begin their Carabao Cup quest at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday evening with Andoni Iraola sounding a warning
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola(Image: Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
View Image
The League Cup is often regarded the runt of the trophy litter. For ambitious clubs, though, it has long proven the gateway to further success.
As the first major silverware to be claimed often months before the conclusion of a season, the competition has always been regarded as an outlier particularly during a Premier League era in which most top-flight entrants rely on their fringe and reserve players until the latter stages.
Liverpool will be no different this evening when Andoni Iraola has his first taste of the tournament as Reds head coach with the third round visit of Tottenham Hotspur.
But while having had experience of the League Cup during his three years at Bournemouth, the Basque would be wise to take note of its value to those who have gone before him in the Anfield hotseat.
READ MORE: Andoni Iraola responds to Liverpool midfield critics and issues forward demand - 'That is key'
READ MORE: Andoni Iraola confirms Liverpool goalkeeper decision and issues Conor Bradley injury update
The competition was the first trophy claimed by Joe Fagan, Roy Evans, Gerard Houllier and, in his second spell in charge, Kenny Dalglish.
Even when beaten finalists in their debut season, it set the template for future success for Rafael Benitez, Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot, all of whom went on to claim the Premier League title, the Champions League or, in the case of Klopp, both.
While there is no weight of expectation on Iraola to deliver either of those main trophies this term, the League Cup can nevertheless prove important in giving an opportunity to fringe and younger players who will be needed for first-team duty in other competitions given the onus on intensity that will require rotation.
Saturday's dire Premier League draw at home to Fulham was an example of how it will take time for Liverpool to acclimatise to the demands of Iraola and for the head coach to discover which players are best served to playing in successive games, with tonight's match the third of three in seven days.
"After international break we have something like four games in nine or 10 days, so we have to get used to it." said Iraola.
"You can put the same players in every game. The problem is there is going to be a moment they are very tired and there is more risk of injury.
"But there are players who play every three days and have no issues, they are very robust, they can accept it and their performances don't change too much. Then there are players where the risk is bigger and the performances are different.
"We are in a position where I have to learn who is ready to play every three or four days and who is ready to rest so their performance level doesn't drop.
"How is Jeremy Jacquet going to deal with playing every three days in two months? I don't know as he hasn't done it.
FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE!All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo's dedicated LFC Facebook page
"Virgil can do it as he's done it before and his level isn't affected. For the younger ones and those coming from abroad, we have to do it case by case."
Tottenham haven't won at Anfield on their last 17 visits, a run that included a 4-0 thumping last year in the League Cup semi-final second leg having controversially won the first game 1-0 in London.
The Reds last went out of this competition at the first hurdle in September 2018, when beaten 2-1 at home by Chelsea.
A much-changed Liverpool were hammered 3-0 at Anfield by Crystal Palace in the fourth round last season, and have now remarkably been paired against Premier League opposition in 17 of their last 21 ties.
The game is a third consecutive home game, with the Anfield crowd having signalled their displeasure at the inability to build on the momentum of Champions League victory over Atletico with the poor outing against Fulham on Saturday.
"I understand the frustration as we were also frustrated," said Iraola. "We were coming from two games of a step forward, then we had a step backwards. That happens in football.
"We have to accept it in terms of there are going to be up and downs in this process but we are clear where we want to go is more towards where we played against Atletico, the style of football we want. The key now is the consistency to perform like this."
Get YOUR Liverpool FC Newsletter