Disrespecting the FA Cup

The big teams disrespecting the FA Cup is not a new phenomenon, and last night, Liverpool were the first big side to field a severely weakened team in the competition this season.
Embed from Getty Images
Liverpool manager made 11 changes from their Tuesday night’s League Cup semi-final against Stoke City, with Christian Benteke being the only regular starter to start against Exeter.

Of Liverpool’s starting 11 for the game against Exeter, only Benteke and Jose Enrique had played more than 4 games for the club.

Klopp even admitted to the BBC that he had not seen most of his side play live, only seeing videos of them: “On video I saw all of them playing but I haven’t seen all of them a lot.”

Of course, Klopp has claimed that he had no other choice but to make 11 changes, but is that really the case?

Let’s be honest here, if Liverpool had drawn Manchester United or Everton, Klopp would have played his strongest available team.

Of course, Liverpool are ravaged by injuries at the moment keeping several first team players out, but because Liverpool were up against League Two Exeter City, Klopp felt he could get away with effectively playing the youth team.

There is a fine line between giving the kids a chance and disrespecting your opposition and the competition, and Klopp went too far on this occasion.

With Arsenal to come in the league on Wednesday, it’s easy to see why Klopp rested key players, especially after a busy Christmas period, but even considering that as well as a the sheer number of injuries Liverpool have at the moment, Klopp could, and should, have played a stronger team.

Full credit has to go to Paul Tisdale and Exeter City. They fought hard and they were deserving of the 2-2 draw they earned, but sadly Klopp’s arrogance overshadowed their achievements.

With Liverpool’s Premier League season looking like it will be unfruitful, surely they should be taking the FA Cup more seriously?

 

Liverpool's starting XI vs Exeter City: Bogdan, Randall, Enrique, Smith, Ilori, Brannagan, Stewart, Kent, Teixeira, Sinclair, Benteke