WINNING THE PREMIER League title should be prioritised over progressing in cup competitions for Liverpool, according to Jamie Carragher.
Jurgen Klopp’s men have raced into an eight-point lead at the Premier League summit after 12 fixtures of the 2019-20 campaign, with their unbeaten record still intact.
A 3-1 win over reigning champions Manchester City at Anfield just before the international break hammered home the Reds’ title credentials, with a potentially tricky trip to Crystal Palace up next on Saturday.
That fixture at Selhurst Park marks the beginning of a congested festive period consisting of 13 matches in 40 days, with Champions League, Fifa Club World Cup and Carabao Cup outings included.
Carragher is adamant that nothing can be allowed to halt Liverpool’s march towards the title, least of all a gruelling December fixture list set to take place over different continents.
I know a lot of Liverpool supporters wouldn’t say this, and certainly the club couldn’t, but nothing can get in the way of Liverpool winning the league. Nothing,” Carragher told the Liverpool Echo.
“The Aston Villa game in the Carabao Cup? If Liverpool get through they will have two semi-finals to play then and that cannot get in the way of Liverpool winning the league.
“What I mean by that is do not play anyone in your first XI in that Carabao Cup team. Not one.
“If Liverpool win the league this year and find themselves in the same position next year I wouldn’t be saying that.
I’d probably be saying, ‘We are Liverpool Football Club. We should try and win the lot.’ But because it has been so long nothing can be allowed to get in the way of Liverpool pushing on and winning the league.
Liverpool must contest a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie against Aston Villa on 17 December, less than 24 hours before they are due to line up in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup.
Carragher feels the prestigious Fifa competition should take precedence over the domestic cup for Liverpool, which they have already won a “record amount of times”.
“The Club World Cup, for me, is very important,” he added. “A lot of people outside Liverpool don’t understand that. But really it’s massive for Liverpool. They have never won it before. To be able to say you’re the world champions.
Liverpool have won the League Cup a record amount of times and will have other chances again. It might be another 20 years before we get the chance to become world champions again.
“So they have to really go for that. I get that. If you remember last year Jurgen Klopp played a really weakened team at Wolves in the FA Cup, but he played Dejan Lovren. And Lovren pulled his hamstring after five minutes. For me, I was angry that Lovren played.
“Klopp is already a legendary figure at Liverpool Football Club for delivering the European Cup but if he wins the league, you’re talking about Shankly, Paisley levels then.
“He would be the man who brings the league back to Anfield. Winning the FA Cup or League Cup will not make any difference to Jurgen Klopp, so for me the Napoli game (in the Champions League) Liverpool have to win, so they can almost write off the last group game.
“They can’t say these things, but inside at Melwood I’m sure these conversations are taking place.”
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