Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has delivered a surprise verdict on Liverpool’s FA Cup exit to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday by saying it could be ‘the best thing that happened to them’.
Jurgen Klopp’s side crashed out 2-1 at Molineux, but Merson is adamant that the result could end up being a good thing for the Reds.
“I just think it’s another game out the way,” he told Sky Sports. “They’ve got a two-week break after playing a couple more league games and recharge their batteries.
“They’re in an unbelievable position to make history, they haven’t won the league in 29 years – don’t get carried away and start thinking about the double, concentrate on the league. For me, it could be the best thing that happened to them.”
OPINION
That’s certainly one way of looking at things. Rightly or wrongly this will be the attitude being adopted by Liverpool fans across the country today, and can you blame them? They have a genuine chance to win the league this season for, as Merson says, the first time in 29 years. As prestigious as the FA Cup is and as nice as it would be for the Reds to win it, it just doesn’t come anywhere close to the league in terms of Klopp’s priorities. Being able to relax for a couple of weeks in preparation for the next league fixture could prove to be a huge bonus for Klopp’s side. Both Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur are still in the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and the Champions League, and it would be naive to think that their more cluttered fixture lists won’t affect their title challenges. That’s what Liverpool supporters will be hoping for, and it’s certainly what Merson believes will happen.
