So, why not have at least a go in this, and still believe we can do well against Arsenal?
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Always the same.
Coaches do almost the complete opposite of what a portion of fans would do or think is right.
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We are in no shape or form to let this one go, itās a price, field a proper team.
Smash them, theyāre defence is shit!
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So is their midfield.
& without Palmer/Pedro, so too will their attack 
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Are they shit? They are only a two points less shit than us, if so.
Seriously, we donāt need this in our lives. What do we get for winning this? You know itās going to be a quarter final against Everton, and three of our lads stretchered of after āstrong but fairā derby challenges
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Mama
Araujo Gomez VVD Tsimi
Nyoni Grav
Rio Mac Gakpo
Koumas
Not a huge amount of rotation options available with the current injuries, would expect there to be a plan around some of them doing 45s. Canāt recall Chiesa or Endo playing five minutes between them yet so doubt theyāll get thrown in from the start against a Chelsea side that will inevitably be strong.
Obviously low on the list of priorities but itās important to keep the momentum going and would be nice to stick one on the nose of them and their manager.
Yeah, I think thereās almost no chance Endo starts this. Could get some minutes off the bench maybe.
Why? If he canāt get a start here, then why bother with him? Same for Chiesa.
Given that the result here is irrelevant, Iād start them both.
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Because he hasnāt played at all in a while.
Of course the result is relevant.
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It really isnāt, mate. I wonāt bat an eyelid if we go out with a B-team. As @mascot said, this is a competition which would make a lot of sense and be very attractive for the teams who arenāt yet in Europe. For us, itās merely a nuisance, and another chance to tire down our first-team players. Iād keep them out of this as much as possible, especially with Arsenal looming large over the horizon.
Maybe youāve got a point about Endo not having enough minutes. Throw in a kid then, one who has got enough minutes under his belt. But maybe Endo is good to start, what do we knowā¦
It is, because how clubs behave doesnāt correspond to that opinion of a portion of fans about this.
We can go full strength or rotate partly or heavily in different stages, but we try to win and thatās the only right approach. Itās the least important of 4 competitions, but certainly not irrelevant. Itās also 10 of our 52 major trophies and that also carries itās value and memories.
Well, Nyoni is probably going to start here, almost surely Iād say. Then itās about finding the right balance between youth and experience, partnerships, in order to win the game and manage game time for players.
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I love winning cup competitions. Itās what I watch football for. So I hope we go strong enough to win this. Need to keep winning for morale.
Also, I hate losing to Chelsea.
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Defensively they are very fragile and have beaten teams so far due to their midfield and attack. With Martinez out with a broken jaw, they are having to use a very suspect young keeper in goal, and with a defence that looks weak I can see them dropping down the ladder until they get Martinez back
Iāll assume all those wanting to see a load of kids thrown under the bus (ala Slot last season) havenāt forked out 40 odd quid for a ticket.
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Jesus but thatās a fucking stretch.
I mean, look for reasons not to compete but the level of exaggeration in this is outrageous. You only stopped short of naming the lads hacked down in the imaginary match vs Everton.
When we beat Chelsea in the final with the VVD goal, were you not in the least excited. I know I was, a trophy in our cabinet and another memorable event.
So yes, I would like that in our lives.
We can compete in this AND put in a display on Sunday against Arsenal. Its not mutually exclusive.
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I donāt propose to throw away the game. But I liked Kloppās approach: that cup was clearly the competition for the reserve players, the youngsters and the squaddies. That would be maintained until at least the semi-final. It was a sensible approach, and Iād like to see this attitude towards the league cup continued.
It didnāt hinder us to win these games btw, or even to win the competition now and then. Of course, weād also lose some games, but the approach was intelligent and sensible imo.
Sometimes we rotate(d) more, sometimes less. It depends of the game, but I donāt see the difference. Klopp liked changing around half a team in games when we needed fresh legs (be it in Europe or in the cups), which, also in the time with 5 subs, gives you the possibility of influencing every outfield player. But there is no set in stone strategy for this how we approach every game and every round. It depends also of the context of the moment weāre in. Here, I donāt see nothing special. Weāll rotate a few positions, still have a competitive team on paper out there and weāll try to play well, win, progress.
Might not be far off, but in the past couple of games it does look like Iraola prefers to put Grav at the 10 and keep Mac in CM.
I also wonder if we might see McConnell starting this one.