The Emirates FA Cup returned to entertain us this weekend. Friday night saw a dominant Manchester City demolish a poor West Ham out of the cup, winning 5-0 at the London Stadium. On Saturday, Wolverhampton Wanderers produced a shock by beating Stoke City 2-0.
Sunday saw Liverpool welcome League 2 opposition Plymouth Argyle to Anfield. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp made ten changes to the side that drew against Sunderland in the Premier League. There was a start for Loris Karius, famously dropped after a run of poor displays in goal. Alberto Moreno, Lucas Leiva, Emre Can and Divock Origi all started.
The rest of the team was made up of youth players, including Ben Woodburn, who scored the winner against Leeds United in the EFL Cup back in November.
Even 80.3% possession in the first half and a goal disallowed, the Reds couldn't break down the League 2 side, earning them a replay at Home Park. Many fans have taken to social media to question Jurgen Klopp's tactics, but was he wrong to name a weakened side?
Did Klopp underestimate the opponent?
Despite the changes, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Liverpool would win this match. It was probably the first game in the 2017 calendar that Klopp has seen an opportunity to rest his starting 11. There has been a lot of focus on the lack of rest time for all teams over the festive period, with Liverpool only having 143.75 hours between games.
Only Southampton experienced worse, with 117 hours. The lack of relaxation time for the Reds was clear in the frustrating 2-2 draw against Sunderland on 2 Jan. Klopp would have been looking ahead at the difficult fixture list have in January and would have prioritised his starting 11 for the EFL Cup semi-final against Southampton, which is only a few days away.
Liverpool fixtures in January:Wed 11 Jan: Southampton vs. Liverpool (EFL Cup semi-final first leg)Sun 15 Jan: Manchester United vs. Liverpool (Premier League)Sat 21 Jan: Liverpool vs. Swansea City (Premier League)Wed 25 Jan: Liverpool vs. Southampton (EFL Cup semi-final second leg)Tue 31 Jan: Liverpool vs.
Chelsea (Premier League)
Is squad depth an issue?
Chelsea named a weakened side against Peterborough United in their third round tie. Starts were handed to experienced players such as Asmir Begovic, John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic. Kurt Zouma, Nathaniel Chalobah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek were the only youngsters in the starting 11.This is in stark contrast to the Liverpool team that Klopp fielded today. Chelsea have internationals in their second team, whereas Liverpool have to use their academy. Liverpool fans will be hoping their important players do not sustain any long-term injuries whilst battling for the Premier League title.
Should Klopp play the youngsters in the replay?
With Premier League fixtures against Manchester United and Swansea City either side of the replay, it is possible that Klopp will play a similar team.
The best players need to be saved for the Premier League, with it being vital to get all three points from every game. Many fans will be hoping that Daniel Sturridge, who was lively when he came on on 63 minutes, will start to give that extra firepower up front.
If Liverpool had played a full strength side, it would have denied the youngsters of an opportunity to play. The team that was selected today was good enough to beat Plymouth Argyle, although it would have benefitted more by having Sturridge up front. Many of these players had played against Leeds United in the EFL Cup in November and got a hard-fought win.
Credit must be given to Plymouth Argyle, who defended superbly throughout the game and even had chances of their own to get a winner. For a team in League 2, the financial rewards gained from getting this replay will benefit the team so much in an effort to get promoted to League 1. That is the magic of the Emirates FA Cup.
