The consensus among some soccer fans is that the League Cup doesn’t matter all that much: that it is a competition in which youngsters should be blooded and fringe players should be allowed to stretch their legs.
If the team succeeds, great; if it doesn’t, well, nobody really cares about the League Cup anyway. Except that they do: Jose Mourinho’s thirst for silverware in any form meant he always took the competition extremely seriously, reaching the final five times across spells with three different clubs, while Manchester City’s players hoisted the trophy in four of Pep Guardiola’s first five seasons in charge.
You have to go back to 2013, when Swansea City beat Bradford City, to find a winner that isn’t one of the Premier League‘s traditional Big Six clubs. Newcastle’s players will be hoping they can change that on Sunday, but Liverpool is the heavy favorite and Arne Slot is excited by the prospect of winning his first trophy as the Reds’ head coach.
“A final in this country is always special because of the fact that there are so many strong teams,” Slot said, as he disagreed with the notion that the game was more important for Newcastle than Liverpool. “If you reach a final, it is always a big moment for them – but also for us. It is special for them – but also for us.”
Nobody under the age of 69 was alive when Newcastle last won a major domestic honour, and tens of thousands of Magpies supporters will be at Wembley on Sunday, praying that the hoodoo ends under the arch.
Given how long it’s been since Newcastle last won a trophy of significance, whenever the north-east club reaches a final, the narrative always seems to be that it would mean more for them to win it.
For the fans, that is probably the case, but the fans don’t go on the pitch and the fans don’t kick the ball. The fiercely loyal Toon Army will be in good voice, but Liverpool’s team is objectively better than Newcastle’s, and the likelihood of the ribbons on the cup being black and white come Sunday evening remains slim.
Learn more
Liverpool being taken to extra-time and penalties by Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, and also losing Trent Alexander-Arnold to injury, has emboldened plenty of Newcastle fans, but it is Newcastle which has the more pressing concerns over player availability: Alexander-Arnold is Liverpool’s only regular first-team starter who won’t play, while Eddie Howe will be without three in Anthony Gordon, Sven Botman and Lewis Hall.
The alternatives to that trio do not all represent significant downgrades: Harvey Barnes will presumably start in Gordon’s place, while Kieran Trippier will likely take Hall’s spot, with Tino Livramento shifting to left-back. Dan Burn is a notable downgrade on Botman.
Newcastle will show plenty of spirit, and it is not inconceivable that the trophy drought will be brought to an end, but Liverpool’s players will be keen to bounce back from Tuesday’s hurtful Champions League against PSG. Wounded animals can be dangerous, and that’s what Liverpool will be when kick-off rolls around at Wembley.
