Caoimhin Kelleher played starring roles in his first two Carabao Cup finals for Liverpool, but he was unable to prevent the Reds from falling to defeat in his third such fixture on Sunday.
A drab performance in losing to Newcastle capped a miserable week for Arne Slot’s side, who also exited the Champions League to Paris Saint-Germain after a penalty shootout, leaving them with ‘only’ the Premier League for which to fight (as Les Ferdinand bizarrely put it).
The Merseysiders will have to wait another 16 days to lay the ghosts of their Wembley woe, although the 26-year-old is among many players in the LFC squad who’ll be busy with national team commitments in the meantime.
Kelleher issues defiant message after Wembley disappointment
As Kelleher reflected on the Carabao Cup final loss, he admitted that the pause to the club season may have come at the right time for Liverpool, who’ve already played 20 matches across four different competitions since the start of January.
The Reds goalkeeper told liverpoolfc.com: “It’s been a tough week for us but maybe the internationals come at a good time for us now to get away and just clear our heads and come back refreshed and ready to go in two weeks.”
The Republic of Ireland international then issued a defiant 15-word message to Kopites, saying: “Big things to play for when we get back, so we’ll be ready to go.”
Onwards to the Premier League title run-in!
The international break may indeed have been ideally timed for Liverpool after a relentless four-month run of fixtures since the season resumed in November, and especially after the bitter disappointment of losing to PSG and Newcastle.
As Kelleher rightly says, the Reds have one major mission to complete when they reassemble at the AXA Training Centre towards the end of March, namely ensuring that they win their 20th league title, something that Thierry Henry firmly believes will happen despite the travails of the past week.
If Slot’s side begin next month by beating Everton and Fulham, which on paper look like two of their trickiest remaining fixtures, the mood music around the red half of Merseyside will alter significantly and there’ll be renewed optimism about clinching Premier League glory.
Of course everyone involved with Liverpool would love to still have a chance of winning the Champions League and FA Cup, but if there is a silver lining to exiting those competitions, it’s that the Reds can focus solely on top-flight matters until the end of the season, with only one more midweek match to negotiate.
If LFC keep their composure and get the job done in the title race, the disappointment of the past week will be very much forgotten amid the scenes of euphoric celebration.
