Who was the one club Liverpool didn’t want to get in the FA Cup quarterfinal draw?
Probably the team that is the only side to have done the double over Liverpool in the league in the last decade.
If I could have chosen one fixture I didn’t want, I’d have chosen this one. It is, of course, Manchester City away.
Unfortunately, the drawing gods seem to be on Arsenal’s side this season in the FA Cup, not the Reds. That said, Chelsea got luckier than anyone with Port Vale at home.
The likes of Chelsea and Arsenal could progress to the semi-finals without having played a Premier League team in the competition, whereas Liverpool will have had to play three from the top flight, two of them away from home.
The main problem isn’t so much the difficulty of the fixture (although that is annoying, and getting tough draws makes it a lot harder to win the competition), but the fact that while Arsenal can put the kids and the reserves out, Slot will probably have to field more key players than he would have against a Championship side.
It just feels like one of those seasons where Liverpool are not getting the rub of the green.
Anyway, I’m certain the players will see it differently — they love big games and will see this as an opportunity to get revenge for the league double. There is no doubt they will be very determined to make sure it isn’t three defeats on the bounce to Pep Guardiola’s men.
What did we learn from Liverpool’s last trip to the Etihad?
It’s hard to analyse when a key goal at a key point in the game is disallowed for no reason.
But what I do remember is that Jeremy Doku loves playing against Liverpool, and he is the man to watch (as well as various other super-expensive players). If Jeremie Frimpong is fit, his explosive pace will be crucial to stopping the Belgian.
Man City are one of the few teams in the league who press high and play attacking football, which can leave them vulnerable to counter attacks. That will make Frimpong very important at the other end as well.
One thing I think the Reds could improve on — and I’m sure it will come as the new signings get more games under their belts and learn each other’s games — is being more ruthless in promising attacking situations.
It’s harsh to pick on key moments, but ultimately, had Mo Salah played a simple pass in the 5v2 situation against Wolves last week, Liverpool almost definitely get the three points.
Capitalising on situations like that could be vital against City in this FA Cup final eight matchup.
When is the match?
The quarter-final ties are scheduled to be played across the weekend of April 4/5. This will be the main event of the weekend, so it will probably be the last of the quarter-finals to take place.
This game may not be the biggest priority for these teams. It certainly won’t be if they progress to the Champions League quarter-finals, the first leg of which will take place just a few days after the cup game.
Man City might be out of both the Champions League and the Premier League title race by then and be throwing everything at this competition.
Liverpool might be out of the Champions League too, but they will still be fighting for a top-five spot whatever happens in the league between now and then.
Either way, this will be a real test for the Reds. The FA Cup isn’t much of a priority for big clubs these days, but if Liverpool can win it and achieve a top-five finish (third place is still very possible), you would think, and hope, that a lot of Slot’s critics would be silenced.
But if a Champions League quarter-final against PSG is just days away, you would expect Slot to field a weakened side. And who knows what new injury issues will have cropped up by then?
If Liverpool can get the job done, it will be their first FA Cup semi-final in four years.