Klopp's belief in fringe figures can extend Liverpool's golden age

Jurgen Klopp has the happy habit of appearing prophetic. Things he says can come true, sometimes in strange fashion.

After the League Cup semi-finals, he branded it “the Caoimhin Kelleher competition.” It is safe to say even Klopp did not envisage the goalkeeper scoring what proved to be the winning penalty in the shoot-out in the final.

Kelleher failed to save any of Chelsea’s 11 spot kicks and yet ended up the hero, and if that sounds illogical, his performance in the preceding 120 minutes justified Klopp’s decision to bench Alisson, who he has often called the world’s best goalkeeper, for one with 17 previous senior appearances.

Part of Klopp’s management stems from the power of belief; time and again, fringe figures have seemed fuelled by his trust on major occasions. If Divock Origi is the most emblematic example, the performances of Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams last spring to secure Champions League football showed how understudies can accomplish the improbable.

Kelleher feels a player with more pedigree. “The best No. 2 in the world,” Klopp said, highlighting two issues. Will the 23-year-old, who looked raw and unconvincing in his early outings in 2019 and now seems transformed, be content to remain Alisson’s deputy?

Meanwhile, the most expensive second-choice goalkeeper in the world is the costliest of any: Kepa Arrizabalaga, whose own ill-fated cameo - from failing to save any of Liverpool’s spot kicks to blazing his own penalty into orbit - and infamous involvement in the 2019 final illustrated that this is definitely not the Kepa Arrizabalaga competition.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: Goalkeeper: Edouard Mendy (Chelsea) – An outstanding display to prevent Liverpool from scoring in the Carabao Cup final, only to be