Liverpool have so far been resting and rotating for the League Cup - but can a strong run help this new-look squad in its long-term development?
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola
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If a clash with Bournemouth was the one draw Andoni Iraola hoped to avoid in the Carabao Cup, a third straight home tie at least affords a real opportunity for a place in the semi-finals now for Liverpool.
And if the Reds secure their spot in the last four of a competition they have won more than any other club when they face Iraola's former side in December, the players will feel they have done things the hard way.
Having already eliminated Tottenham Hotspur and now Chelsea, Liverpool will have to beat a third Premier League club to reach the semi-finals but Iraola will take heart from those who won't be waiting for him in any potential draw.
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Arsenal and Manchester United are both out alongside Spurs and Chelsea and perhaps it is only nine-time winners Manchester City, at home to Bradford in the quarters, who will feel they have just as good a chance of winning the competition as those from Anfield.
The Carabao Cup sits at the bottom of the list of priorities when season begins and it is typically used by clubs like Liverpool as a way of utilising the full range of the squad. Seven changes were made in total on Wednesday night, for example, as Chelsea were beaten 6-5 on aggregate.
The likes of Lewis Koumas, Trey Nyoni and James McConnell all started and there was a rare outing for Joe Gomez, whose decisive spot kick in the shootout was taken like an experienced striker.
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Now, though, with the prospect of a semi-final on the horizon, Iraola may find himself looking to use some of his more high-profile players when his former club Bournemouth visit for that last-eight tie.
While a League Cup may not necessarily take pride of place in the trophy collection of an Alisson Becker or Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool have a new squad that has been built at an eye-watering cost across the past two summers.
It's an emerging group that could use an 11th League Cup triumph as a platform towards even more lucrative pieces of silverware further down the line.
“When you’re at a big club like Liverpool, playing is not enough," Jamie Carragher told The Athletic in 2024. "You’ve got to win playing for Liverpool, and this did feel like the start of something - and not just because it was the first trophy won.
"It was with (Gerard) Houllier, a foreign manager, different to what Liverpool had had in the past. So while it didn’t feel like it was this massive thing that we’d won the trophy, it did feel like it was the start of something.
"That’s the great thing about the League Cup, you can almost tick that box in February, and it takes a little bit of the pressure off the other things that you’re going for. You get that trophy under your belt, you know what it takes to get over the line."
Liverpool's key decision makers have spent an eye-watering amount in their efforts to reupholster the title-winning squad of 2025 and while players like Florian Wirtz, Bradley Barcola and Alexander Isak were all signed with bigger plans in mind, this group must start somewhere as they aim to create their own chapter of club history.
With that in mind, why shouldn't Liverpool now look to focus on the League Cup trophy? Players like Isak, Wirtz and Barcola will understandably think there are bigger fish to be fried but a strong run can only help confidence and belief for further down the line.
Cesc Fabregas, who won the tournament in 2015 with Chelsea, said: "It creates culture, winning culture. It creates good mentality, a good togetherness between the club and the fans, the players, the team. I think this is very important, this togetherness."
Liverpool were beaten finalists in 2005 and 2016 as both Rafa Benitez and Jurgen Klopp began to get to grips with things as Reds managers. While both might have ultimately lost those fixtures to Chelsea and Manchester City, respectively, a run to the showpiece itself was important in fostering an early belief that big things lay ahead for their squads.
Benitez's side won the Champions League just a few months later before lifting the FA Cup the following year while Klopp's side took a little longer to become one of the finest sides in world football after also losing out in the Europa League final of 2016.
It is still admittedly early days, but there is no reason to dismiss the idea that a strong League Cup campaign cannot help do the same for this new-look Liverpool under Iraola who have won five games on the spin and are making noticeable progress.
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