Liverpool play their ideal opponents for this stage of the Carabao Cup when they host Arsenal on Wednesday.
The Reds knocked out MK Dons in the third round to set up this tie but we learned little. They’re a team that Liverpool’s second string were always likely to beat, for one thing.
Can you really tell if you can win the trophy like that? Not really – there’s no real measurement of their ability to beat top sides.
And that’s because of the strange cup competition that the Carabao Cup has become. It’s a trophy you judge your squad depth on, more than anything.
You can have the best first-team in the world – say, one capable of winning the Champions League and getting 97 points in the Premier League – and still not come close to winning it. It’s all about squad depth. Is your second-string better than your rivals?
It’s no surprise then that the last six years have seen Manchester City win it four times, Manchester United once, and Chelsea once. They are the big-spending teams and the ones with all the depth.
Liverpool, on the other hand, have always come unstuck. But this game against Arsenal will tell them if they’re ready to compete this year.
The Reds will know if they can win it this year if they get past Arsenal. Not that they definitely will, but it’s a barometer of where their squad is at in a way that beating MK Dons wasn’t.
If Liverpool beat Arsenal, they can be comfortable trying to win it. They can push harder, knowing that the extra games can be worth it as a trophy can be won.
Lose, and the extra rest is preferable as the squad isn’t good enough to compete in every competition.
So Arsenal are the perfect side to face in the Carabao Cup right now, rather than an easier tie where no one learns anything. We’ll know full well if Liverpool can add the trophy to their record-holding collection.
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