Given their superlative start to the season, it would be wrong to say Liverpool are at sixes and sevens. Yet a team who have reeled off seven straight victories represent a club who have gone six years without silverware.
The numbers highlight an issue.
This may be their best chance to win the league since 1990. Yet Jurgen Klopp has no trophy to show for his time at Anfield, and his Chelsea counterpart Maurizio Sarri is yet to lift a major honour in his managerial career.
Each could deem the League Cup his best chance to open his account.
Wednesday night's game is the lesser of this week’s double-header between 21st-century rivals, an intriguing hors d’oeuvre to the meatier main course of Saturday’s league meeting between swift starters. There is a theory that Liverpool should sacrifice everything to prioritise a title race in which Manchester City are still favourites.
“With the Carabao Cup [as the League Cup is called], FA Cup, Europe... the FA must hope nobody gets through all the competitions because it's impossible to deal with it,” Klopp said.
But his first final as Liverpool manager came in the League Cup, and he said: “We like this competition.”
It can serve a purpose. It looks a pathway to future success. Three of its last five winners – City in 2014 and 2018, plus Chelsea in 2015 – have gone to become champions. Seven of the last 14 have won a second trophy later in the campaign.
The facts suggest the League Cup generates momentum.
Liverpool have combined victory with winning the European Cup (in 1981 and 1984), the league (1982, 1983, 1984), the Uefa Cup (2001) and the FA Cup, also in 2001.
They reached a second Wembley final two months after securing their last major honour, Kenny Dalglish’s team overcoming Cardiff in the 2012 final when Gerrard – Steven’s cousin Anthony, then playing for the Welsh club – missed the decisive penalty in the shootout.
If the early stages represent a balancing act, and Sarri has said Chelsea could make up to 11 changes, Klopp seems to have a better class of stand-in than before. Rewind to the opening day of the season and after Liverpool's 4-0 win over West Ham United, the German was asked if he could see greater strength in depth.
“Yes, because I am not blind,” he replied.
With only 12 players starting any of their first five league games, that added depth has scarcely been tested. It will be now.
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Premier League talking points: Xherdan Shaqiri gives Liverpool even more attacking options
Ian Oxborrow: Is there risk of Liverpool's Mohamed Salah ending up being one-season wonder?
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Joel Matip and Xherdan Shaqiri, fresh from beginning Saturday's 3-0 win over Southampton, should retain their places. It will be no surprise if Daniel Sturridge, Nathaniel Clyne and Alberto Moreno come in. Dominic Solanke and the fit-again Dejan Lovren offer other options.
Most mysteriously, there is Fabinho, the £43 million (Dh208m) summer signing who has been limited to one minute of action so far. If his Anfield career is following the same path as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s, with Klopp taking time to school a newcomer in his style of football, this could be the first examination of how the Brazilian is adapting.
The only understudy guaranteed to start is Simon Mignolet, demoted to the rank of Alisson's understudy this season and denied a move.
“He deserves the game,” Klopp said. “Simon would have been ready to go to another club to be No 1 wherever in the world, but we couldn't do it. Since then he has been brilliant.”
Chelsea’s second string could feature such luminaries as Alvaro Morata, Cesc Fabregas and Gary Cahill.
“This team has experience. They won the title already, 80 per cent [of them] twice,” Klopp added. “That is a really good, strong group.”
The same may be said of Liverpool.
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What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
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Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
