Liverpool boss Arne Slot is hoping to become the latest in a long line of leading managers to get off the mark by winning the League Cup
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Sport
12:49, 15 Mar 2025
Fenerbahce head coach Jose Mourinho.
Fenerbahce head coach Jose Mourinho.
(Image: Esra Bilgin/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Following the example of Jose Mourinho would normally be one of the last recommendations from supporters of any Liverpool boss. But Arne Slot is close to replicating the trend highlighted by the prickly Portuguese's time in the dugout in England.
Back in 2004/05, Mourinho's won his first silverware as Chelsea boss by beating the Reds in the League Cup final, sparking a period of domestic dominance by the Londoners. The Premier League was claimed at a canter a few months later.
During his second spell at Stamford Bridge, his first trophy was the League Cup, and it was the same when he switched to Manchester United. And no doubt Mourinho would claim it could have been at Tottenham Hotspur too, had he not been sacked shortly before the final against Manchester City in 2021.
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The League Cup may by some distance have been the least important of the four trophies Liverpool were chasing at the start of the season. But it's the first major trophy that can be won and, of course, therefore the earliest opportunity for Slot to earn his debut honour as Reds head coach.
And with Liverpool stepping out at Wembley on Sunday against Newcastle United, they have a chance for a record-breaking 11th League Cup triumph.
It's not just Mourinho who understood the value of the competition as a foundation for what can follow. In terms of Liverpool managers, both Rafael Benitez and Jurgen Klopp reached the final in their debut season - setting a template for the future - and it was the first trophy won by Joe Fagan, Roy Evans, Gerard Houllier and, in his second spell in charge, Kenny Dalglish.
Slot will know history suggests winning the League Cup can be a precursor to further success. And with Liverpool 15 points clear at the Premier League summit with nine games remaining, there's a strong chance Sunday could be the first part of a trophy double.
But the portents also indicate the Reds boss, having previously highlighted how rarely his team have enjoyed a strong winning margin to see out games comfortably this season, should braced for another nervy occasion. Liverpool simply do not do straightforward final appearances.
The Reds have reached 14 previous League Cup finals, winning 10. Of the four in which they lost, three were by one goal while in 2016 Liverpool were beaten by Manchester City on penalties.
And when winning the trophy, only twice have they done so by a margin of more than one goal. And even then, the 3-1 triumph over Tottenham Hotspur in 1982 was sealed in the penultimate minute of extra time while Michael Owen's goal to cap a 2-0 success over Manchester United in 2003 came in the 86th minute.
In fact, in the 46 one-off finals Liverpool have reached in all competitions, only one has been won or lost by a margin of more than two goals - the 3-0 FA Cup final triumph in 1974. The opposition that day at Wembley? Newcastle.