Yes, the Premier League is the most important trophy to win.
However, that does not mean that the opportunity to win any trophy has to be sacrificed. There are only four trophies available in any given season (assuming a team is in Europe) - any one of them should be celebrated.
Regardless of how we feel about it, managers’ team selections, in earlier rounds of cups especially, have reinforced the idea that cups aren’t as important.
Managers are, by and large, judged on their performance in the league. and understandably prioritise that competition as a consequence.
However, this does not detract from the fact that any trophy success is to be celebrated. People who are indifferent when we get knocked out of a cup are not real supporters, in my eyes at least; a true fan wants the team to win every game it plays.
The two seasons under Klopp where we had long runs in all competitions but ending up without major trophies changed my attitude on the cups to be honest, for now at least. Not saying I was indifferent to getting knocked out of the FA cup this year, but I got over it quick. That said, I was glad the club had something to celebrate in Klopp’s last season.
It depends on where we are as a club I guess. When we had that long barren run after Rafa’s FA cup, I celebrated Dalglish’s Carling Cup win more than City fans collectively celebrated their treble (not saying much… but you know what I mean).
To win four competitions is an impossibility. Just think back to how we felt when we ended up with the two domestic cups instead of the Prem and the CL , and look at the toll it took on the players. No matter how much you try to romanticise it , there’s only two competitions that count.
It’s not impossible and it will be done some day. We came 2 games short, battling a cheating club all season. It’s not a huge leap of faith to think that if we had secured the league sooner, we would have been better prepared for the final as well.