Arsenal fans going crazy over Liverpool trying to postpone game (see below)
Liverpool exaggeration
So Liverpool are trying to get the League Cup semi postponed because of more Covid cases. I’m all for protecting everyone if players are testing positive but there doesn’t appear to be much transparency and a cynic would suggest teams could be exaggerating their plight in order to get a game called off when they might be missing some big name players. There also seems to be cases of different teams being made to play and some getting games called off.
My understanding is teams need 14 fit players which includes a GK in order to play. I think there is something about any young players being used having the ‘right experience’. Well in Liverpool’s last round game against Leicester the following players made their matchday squad: Bradley, Koumetio, Morton, Williams, Gordon, Beck, Quansah, Woltman, Filho – that is 9 players, I’m assuming youngsters who were deemed ready to play a League Cup Quarter Final. If we discount Salah/Mané/Keita as they’re away at the ACN there were a further 13 players who played the game vs Chelsea. So that is 22 players, 23 if we count Robertson back from suspension as he made neither squad for the 2 games noted.
So that would mean Liverpool would need a further 10 covid cases on top of what they already have to not fulfil the fixture – and it could be argued if they were able to put out 9 U23 players in the last round they should be able to dip in to that group of healthy players again.
Salah and Mane haven’t played a minute (or even made the bench) of any League Cup game so far this season so their absence is a moot point for this competition.
I get that having to play games without some of your best players because they have caught covid isn’t ideal or even that fair but why should the semi final first leg v Arsenal be called off if there are plenty of U23 players that can be called upon.
Other teams have had to play on and dropped points or get knocked out of cup competitions (or even ‘forced’ to forfiet a game!) because of covid. It is becoming a bit farcical how teams are declaring they don’t even have 14 fit professionals to play a game when they’re quite happy to throw U23 players in to games when it suits them.