Chelsea: Maurizio Sarri needs this EFL Cup tie far more than Jurgen Klopp

Chelsea’s Carabao Cup tie against Liverpool has arrived and Maurizio Sarri will have some big calls to make regarding team selection.

Were it not for the two European competitions and the two teams’ respective participation in them, Jurgen Klopp’s side couldn’t have been a worse draw as far as Sarri is concerned. According to the popular press, Liverpool are on the brink of beating Manchester City in the race for every trophy going. Chelsea are merely also-rans against those “big boys.”

The belief was Chelsea’s new Italian boss would use the lesser cup competitions as his proving ground for some of the up-and-coming kids and peripheral players. He did not do that against PAOK and he’ll be reluctant to do it up at Anfield. He does not want to face the prospect of seeing his side fall at the first hurdle. Rather than make wholesale changes against the Reds, as in Greece, he may well field a stronger starting XI than he would otherwise like.

Since Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003 the club have always taken what is really known as the League Cup (minus the sponsor) seriously. Let’s not forget it was Abramovich’s and Jose Mourinho’s first trophy with Chelsea. Let’s not also forget Mourinho quickly backed that up with Chelsea’s first Premier League title for 50 years.

Sarri has already said he anticipates competing on all fronts this season and he has to be taken at his word. At this stage in his career, he needs to redress the balance of his managerial-years-to-trophy ratio. It currently stands at 28:0.

Unlike the team he joined in the summer he’s been less than prolific when it comes to winning. He’s the chalk to Chelsea’s cheese. Where Chelsea are serial winners, Sarri has an underwhelming record of underachievement.

Of course, after that insipid final season under Antonio Conte last time out, Sarri’s philosophy of possession, possession, and possession leaves Chelsea supporters gasping for more (more goals, as it stands). As a work in progress, so far it has been so good. With six wins and a draw across all competitions, it’s early days but the signs are things are on the up after Conte poisoned the atmosphere as last season wore on. Maybe an improvement in the mood around the club will prove to be the biggest victory this season.

When the two managers put pen to paper and start writing down their starting XI’s for Wednesday, Sarri holds all the aces. The tie will give Jurgen Klopp the first chance to rotate his team this season ahead of the weekend’s reverse league game. Sarri’s second string had their first outing last week as they laboured their way past PAOK.

With Chelsea’s favoured Premier League starting line-up almost set in stone, and the slightly-altered second string looking likely to play in Europe, will Sarri present Chelsea’s third-best XI at Anfield? Should those who have not seen much action so far this season feature? That is to say the likes of Willy Caballero, Victor Moses, Danny Drinkwater, Emerson Palmieri, Ethan Ampadu, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Callum Hudson-Odoi will feel like the “nearly men.”

Realistically, you can scratch “the kids” from that list. Their time should eventually come. But are the others happy to be bit-part players under Sarri?

Home advantage will make the Reds favourites, but Sarri will want to take Chelsea through more than Klopp will. Klopp only has so much energy and attention for unnecessary games in minor competitions when they have bigger trophies to pursue.

Sarri’s quest for his first real silverware will be his motivation, just like it was for Abramovich and Mourinho at the turn of the century.