Liverpool’s quest for the quadruple goes on!
Jurgen Klopp might not want to acknowledge the possibility of landing the unprecedented trophy haul after Sunday’s League Cup final win, considering no English side has ever achieved such a feat before, but with the season now in March, the Reds have already won one tournament and remain in contention for winning the remaining three.
After beating Norwich City on Wednesday night, Liverpool have booked their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals, with the draw taking place on Thursday night before Everton’s clash with Boreham Wood.
Meanwhile, the Reds have one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals, after beating Inter Milan 2-0 in the first leg of their round of 16 clash at the San Siro last month, and trail Man City by six points in the Premier League title-race while boasting a game-in-hand and knowing they travel to the Etihad for what could be a decisive title-decider against the reigning champions in April.
There still remains plenty of football to be played between now and May as we edge towards the business end of the season.
And with Klopp frequently warning that top-flight players play far too much football, his squad are on the verge of facing the reality of their success and the most severe case of their manager's concerns.
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While Liverpool are well-placed to continue challenging on their three remaining fronts, with their squad stronger than ever following the January signing of Luis Diaz and with the majority of their injuries drying up in recent weeks, they are on the verge of facing greater fixture congestion than ever before.
When the Reds won the treble in 2000/01, they competed in the maximum possible 63 matches on their way to League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup glory.
So far this season they have played 42 matches and, after beating Norwich, are guaranteed to take part in at least another 14 games. See off Inter Milan next week and that total rises to 16.
But if Liverpool go all the way in the Champions League and find themselves in Paris for the final on Saturday 28 May, they will play an additional five games in Europe after overcoming the Serie A champions.
Meanwhile, an FA Cup final appearance will see them take part in an additional two domestic cup games on top of the quarter-finals later this month.
If the Reds are to go all the way in their quest for the quadruple, they will again take part in 63 games.
And such a prospect means, March international break aside, they could be playing every weekend and every midweek for the rest of the season in the most brutal of fixture pile-ups.
March
Liverpool are next in action when they host West Ham United on Saturday 5 March (5.30pm) before welcoming Inter Milan to Anfield on Tuesday 8 March (8pm).
The Reds travel to Brighton on Saturday 12 March (12.30pm), before taking on Arsenal at the Emirates in their current outstanding game-in-hand on Wednesday 16 March (8.15pm).
They are then currently scheduled to face Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday 20 March (4.30pm). However, that game will now be moved with the FA Cup quarter-finals taking place the same weekend.
As a result, Liverpool will instead face either Nottingham Forest/Huddersfield Town on Saturday 19 March or Sunday 20 March.
April
After the March international break, the Reds are back in action against Watford on Saturday 2 April (12.30pm) before taking part in a potential Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday 5 April or Wednesday 6 April.
Their potential Premier League title-decider away at Man City is then next up on Sunday 10 April (4.30pm), sandwiched between the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday 12 April and Wednesday 13 April.
Liverpool are due to travel to Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa on the weekend of Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 April. However, this fixture will be rearranged if they reach the FA Cup semi-finals which take place over the same dates.
An Anfield Merseyside derby clash with Everton is next up on the weekend of Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 April, coming before a potential Champions League semi-final first leg on Tuesday 26 April and Wednesday 27 April.
The Reds then currently finish the month away at Newcastle United on Saturday 30 April.
May
Should that clash with the Magpies not be moved back to Sunday 1 May, Liverpool’s final month of the campaign could open with a Champions League semi-final second leg on Tuesday 3 May or Wednesday 4 May.
The Reds then host Tottenham Hotspur on the weekend of Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 May, before travelling to Southampton for their penultimate match of the Premier League season on Sunday 15 May.
However, if Klopp’s men were to reach the FA Cup final, that match would be rearranged with the Wembley showpiece scheduled for Saturday 14 May.
If Liverpool went all the way in the FA Cup, they would have three league fixtures that they need to find new dates for.
The Reds then conclude their Premier League season at home to Wolves on Sunday 22 May (4pm), with the Champions League final taking place the following weekend on Saturday 28 May (8pm).
Games-in-hand
Liverpool currently boast one game-in-hand following their League Cup final appearance, with that outstanding match already scheduled into their fixture list with the Reds travelling to Arsenal on Wednesday 16 March (8.15pm).
But by beating Norwich City in the FA Cup fifth round, their Premier League home clash with Manchester United on Sunday 20 March (4.30pm) will be moved due to their participation in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
If they reach the FA Cup semi-finals, which are scheduled to take place on Saturday 16 April and Sunday 17 April, their Premier League trip to Aston Villa will also be postponed.
Meanwhile, the FA Cup final takes place on Saturday 14 May - the same weekend as Liverpool’s penultimate game of the Premier League season away at Southampton - prompting a third rearrangement.
UEFA did allow the Premier League to schedule some of their current outstanding matches, following winter Covid-19 postponements, for the same dates as the Champions League round of 16 and Europa League knockout play-off round.
However, they normally don’t permit league matches to take place on the same date as European games.
As such, with Champions League quarter-finals taking place on Tuesday 5 April, Wednesday 6 April, Tuesday 12 April and Wednesday 13 April and the semi-finals scheduled for Tuesday 26 April, Wednesday 27 April, Tuesday 3 May and Wednesday 4 May, there are only three free midweek slots left for games-in-hand before the end of the season.
The first falls in April on Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 April. Meanwhile, the second and third would take place either side of the FA Cup final on Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 May and Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 May.
As a result, it is likely that the Reds’ home clash with Manchester United and trips to Aston Villa and Southampton would fall across each set of midweek dates, should they reach the FA Cup final.
If events unfolded as such, they would be playing every weekend and midweek for the rest of the club season and also face the possibility of a mouth-watering home double-header with the Red Devils and Everton in the week commencing Monday 18 April.
However, it is worth noting that Manchester United were required to play two midweek games in the same week last season, against Leicester City on Tuesday 11 May and Liverpool on Thursday 13 May.
As a result, such a scenario remains possible for the Reds as the Premier League look to find new dates for the remaining outstanding games across the English top-flight following Covid-19 postponements.
Either way, with Liverpool now entering the business end of the season, they are about to play an awful lot of football in quick-succession with the strain on their squad greater than ever before as their quadruple hopes remain in the balance.
