It's JUST the league cup right? Not for Liverpool...

The League Cup is a competition no one is sure whether to actually care about.

There was a period when it was considered a nuisance to the top teams - especially those who were competing in the Champions League and were concerned about fixture congestion. It doesn't have the history, the romance or the prize money of the FA Cup. And in recent years it has become an accepted policy of these clubs to field weakened teams in the competition to give younger players valuable first team experience, or give squad players some much needed game-time.

A Mickey Mouse trophy?

    

But no matter what spin you put on it, come the latter stages of any competition and the opportunity of a trip to Wembley beckons, there's no denying that supporters of all clubs get excited at the prospect of adding to the trophy cabinet. However, let's be clear, winning the Carling Cup and finishing outside the top 4 in the Premier League will be a failure for Liverpool this season. Well it certainly should be given the stature of the club and the money spent since the Fenway takeover.

You want us to pay how much for Downing?!

The problem with assessing their season is, it wasn't actually acknowledged by anyone at the club at the start of the season what their target was. To be fair this could be a function of not knowing the strength of the competition and wishing to avoid putting pressure on the new players. But given the turmoil at Arsenal and Chelsea this season, with constant speculation over their manager's positions, to finish behind them would be a huge statement of just how little Liverpool would have progressed under Kenny Dalglish.

Big trouble in little Chelsea...

Remember Liverpool finished 6th last season, even after a disastrous start under Roy Hodgson, so would another 5th or 6th place finish really be good enough again after so many additions to the playing squad? Under any other manager than King Kenny serious questions would surely be asked. But as anyone who knows the average Liverpool fan will tell you, their views of the club (when expressed in public at least) generally do not reflect the views of the wider football community.

This lot are putting me to sleep...

Liverpool's presence in this weekend's Carling Cup highlight this divergence in views. While fans of other 'big' clubs will suggest the Carling Cup is a worthless and meaningless trophy, Liverpool fans are on the whole excited by their first appearance at the new Wembley and potentially their first silverware since 2006. Of course any supporter thinks the Carling Cup is small fry if their team isn't competing, and strong performances in the League Cup are very much part of Liverpool's illustrious history.

No Hanson, that's a plastic cup not the trophy

But Sunday's final holds more significance outside the microcosm of the Carling Cup. While the stature of the trophy is debatable, it's significance to the club's season, and their progress from here is not. Jose Mourinho first trophy in England was the 2005 Carling Cup and it gave his Chelsea team the confidence and momentum to take the Premier League that year. Manchester United's triumph in 2006 prevented a double of barren years and formed the platform for them to regain their Premier League title the following season. Arsenal's own trophy-less spell has lasted far longer, and they were desperate to end it in last season's Carling Cup. The emotional impact of losing to Birmingham resulted in them only winning 2 of their final Premiership matches, and crashing out of the Champion's League and FA Cup in quick succession.

You can't win anything with kids...

Winning a trophy gives a side a psychological boost that nothing else can. It also lifts the mood of supporters and takes away any pressure from the manager if league results are not meeting expectations. Sir Alex Ferguson's job was famously saved by winning the FA Cup in 1990 and we all know what happened from there.

The first of many boss

And Liverpool's season certainly does need a boost. While their performances haven't been disastrous, they have only scored 29 goals in 25 Premier League games. To put that into context that's the same number as Alex McLeish's Aston Villa and Roy Hodgson's West Brom sides. While Liverpool fans will claim they are playing more attractive football that during the Hodgson reign, this seems a poor return for their mammoth spending since his departure from the club. 

Zzzzz...

For all the money spent what have the club actually got? Andy Carroll's troubles have been well documented and his performances have been as weak as his goal return. Charlie Adam's lack of mobility and consistency have been exposed at times. Stuart Downing is a solid support player but one who seems to be have had problem adjusting to playing at a 'big' club and lacking in confidence. Jordan Henderson clearly has a lot of talent but he is very much a work in progress. And Luis Suarez, well can be said about him that hasn't already been splashed across every football column in every newspaper in every country apart from North Korea, where manipulation of the media has probably resulted in them reporting that they are currently world champions of everything including pre-match hand shaking.

Dalglish: Haha his corners are worth 10m alone, Adam: Hmm that means the rest of my game is worth -3m

There are many sad things about the Suarez affair. Firstly, racism is still an issue, but we always knew that anyway. Secondly, the defense that racist terms are are an acceptable part of the culture in other societies confirms something we already had a feeling about, but it is no doubt a saddening truth given the progress made in recent years. As Gus Poyet stated in his defense of Suarez, "England needs to understand how the rest of the world lives... you are not racist when you go against one, but you are if you go against the whole world of different colour and nationalities. That is being racist, not saying one word in one moment."

See I'm not racist

The same view of the incident was shared by Sepp Blatter who said in a CNN interview, "'I would deny it. There is no racism, there is maybe one of the players towards another... He should say that this is a game, we are in a game, and at the end of the game, we shake hands, and this can happen."

Ooops did I really say that?

Enough has been said about the incident and after an very thorough investigation the FA found Suarez guilty and banned him for 8 matches. What has been more worrying is the club's stance on the matter, especially once Suarez had been found guilty. There has been unequivocal support for Suarez from Dalglish and because of this stance the Liverpool fans have been quick to paint Suarez as the victim and Evra as the criminal for bringing up the issue in the first place.

Ok Luis, let's practice that handshake

Beyond the Suarez situation, a lot of Liverpool's problems, however, can be traced back to Dalglish, and any other manager without the emotional ties he has with the club would have had far more scrutiny placed on his position.

Firstly, he has constantly tinkered with Liverpool's systems, sometimes playing 3 at the back,  sometimes two upfront, sometimes with width and sometimes without. While variation gives opponents problems to solve, it also doesn't help a new group of players who are trying to gel. The problem is exacerbated by players also having to constantly playing in different positions or roles. Kuyt is sometimes used as a striker rather than his more effective wide right position, Henderson has played on the right and in the centre, Downing has playing on both wings and the centre, Adam and Gerrard while generally playing central are sometimes played deeper and sometimes more advanced. Craig Bellamy has been extremely effective as a striker but has also been played from wide areas, Carroll is in and out of the team and Suarez is leading the line in one match and then playing off Carroll in another.

Hmm, what formation are we playing today? 4-something-something... I think

All this variation seems to be confusing the Liverpool players as much as any opposition they face. It is fair to say that the loss of Lucus, who is one of the best holding midfielders in the Premier League, has been a massive blow both in terms of lost quality and also tactically. But Dalglish clearly hasn't found a formula that works for the players he has at his disposal, or at least he hasn't tried to establish one and stick to it. While Liverpool's players are certainly not top class, it is important that the manager sets the up in a way that brings the best out of their respective talents and allows them to know their role in the team and what is required of them to bring victories.

While victory in the Carling Cup would be a good achievement for the club and would be well celebrated on Merseyside, Liverpool should have bigger ambitions and should have a plan to achieve them. The Suarez affair has tainted the reputation of one of sport's greatest institutions and this is an opportunity for the club to draw a line under the affair and focus on a positive run-in, success in the FA Cup and achieving that coveted top four spot. Whether Dalglish has a plan to deliver all this is the real question and one we will find out the answers too in the months ahead.