Liverpool’s Carabao Cup win showcases Klopp’s trust in youth

LONDON — Jurgen Klopp is still on track for a magical farewell tour as Liverpool manager and he can thank the club's next generation for getting his injury-hit team across the finish line in the 1-0 victory in the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea on Sunday.

Virgil van Dijk's 118th-minute goal – a header from a Kostas Tsimikas corner – secured Liverpool's 10th EFL Cup and condemned Chelsea to a sixth successive defeat, the last three against Klopp's side. But while captain Van Dijk will grab the headlines, it was the contribution of Liverpool's young stars that made the difference at Wembley, when Klopp had to rely on untested players due to a growing crisis injuries which, at the end of this match, had worsened. to 11 first players.

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Only the most ardent Liverpool fans know much about Jayden Danns, James McConnell and Bobby Clark before their involvement as substitutes against Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea. Danns, 18, made his senior debut as a late substitute in last Wednesday's 4-1 Premier League win over Luton Town at Anfield, while Clark (19) was making just his ninth senior appearance and McConnell (19 years old) his seventh. Incredibly, each of the three teenagers can now boast of having won a major trophy before reaching double figures in terms of first-team appearances.

“What happened here was absolutely insane, these things are not possible,” Klopp said. “The team, a group, an academy full of character. I’m so proud to be able to be part of it tonight.

“The crazy thing is that we deserved it. We had moments of luck, they had moments of luck. The boys arrived, it was really cool. We needed fresh legs, they were fresh but very young, but they did the job.”

With Klopp announcing he will step down as Liverpool manager at the end of the season, almost nine years after taking the reins at Anfield, it is perhaps fitting that the club's future also plays a role important in the first of four potential trophies in his final campaign. Conor Bradley and Harvey Elliott, both 20, started the match and were also a big influence in Liverpool's victory. But the presence of emerging talents was primarily a necessity rather than Klopp simply giving them the chance to shine. And if they want to stay on course for three more trophies and dispatch Klopp with a quadruple, the youngsters will have to step up their efforts again.

“When you are younger and you have an opportunity, you have to grab it with both hands,” Van Dijk told Sky Sports after the match. “They should take this opportunity to get going and I'm sure they will. They should keep pushing to get closer to the first team and be part of the team. Being part of that as a teenager only benefits 'to you.”

Liverpool now face a crucial two-week period that could define their season and go into it with a full squad of senior players unavailable to Klopp.

Goalkeeper Alisson Becker and defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joël Matip are injured, with Ryan Gravenberch joining fellow midfielders Curtis Jones, Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic and Dominik Szoboszlai on the sidelines after suffering an ankle injury following a challenge from Moisés Caicedo in the first half. this game. Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota and Darwin Núñez were all missing from the forward line at Wembley.

There is little chance of any of the above returning in time to face Southampton in the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday and it can be assumed that Klopp will not risk any of his senior stars – fit or close to fitness – in the UEFA Europa League round of 16 first leg against Sparta Prague on 7 March. Some members of the Wembley squad could also be absent against Southampton due to the strain of playing 120 minutes against Chelsea.

“Wataru Endo, oh my god,” Klopp said. “He walked through the ceremony with the stiffest legs I’ve ever seen!”

Any injured players who do not return to action at Nottingham Forest in the Premier League next Saturday will face a race against time to feature in the potential title final against Manchester City at Anfield on March 10. It's a testament to the energy and spirit that Klopp instills in his teams that Liverpool overcame a much stronger Chelsea side to win the cup, but youngsters tend to suffer from inconsistency when they reach the first team, and maintaining the performances they produced at Wembley is by no means guaranteed. So, can they hold the fort and keep the team winning until the big guns return?

That's the challenge Klopp faces as he tries to keep Liverpool in the three remaining competitions: FA Cup, Europa League and Premier League. Liverpool certainly took the hits against Chelsea. Both teams had goals disallowed for offside, Liverpool's by VAR, and both very close calls; Liverpool hit the post twice, through Cody Gakpo and Elliott, with Conor Gallagher hitting the foot of Liverpool's woodwork late in the second half.

With Pochettino finishing the game with a £180million attack line of Mykhailo Mudryk, Christopher Nkunku and Cole Palmer, Chelsea really should have taken advantage of the inexperience and fatigue in Liverpool's ranks.

But with second-row goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher producing a string of world-class saves, Liverpool held on until Van Dijk scored the winner two minutes before the end of extra time. Some teams would have been eliminated at this stage, but Klopp's Liverpool are one of those teams who are never beaten while there is still time.

Even when kids replace senior stars, the result is the same and it depends on Klopp. But the next two weeks will be huge and the youngsters will have to start again and again to keep the quadruple dream alive.