Reds seek League Cup home comfort in semi-final

LIVERPOOL’S meant to take a tilt at three trophies this season – but Saturday’s surprise 3-2 Premier League defeat by Swansea spoiled that idea.

If Jurgen Klopp’s team are to overcome Southampton at Anfield in the second leg of a League Cup semifinal today and reach Wembley, their defence needs a radical upgrade.

The shock of suffering their first defeat at Anfield in almost 12 months is still being felt by the fans, with a run of just two points won from the last nine available damaging Liverpool’s chances of landing a first English league title since 1990. But for the next few days, the Merseysiders’ focus will be on cup football.

The visit of EPL rivals Southampton – who lead 1-0 from the first-leg courtesy of Nathan Redmond’s goal – will be followed by a home match against second-tier Wolves in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday.

Klopp expects success in both ties; he also expects much better defending from a team who have conceded six goals in three league matches.

“We are not happy,” he said. “But I understand football in a different way. The final mistake in a game, sometimes it’s the goalkeeper, sometimes it’s the defender, sometimes it’s somebody else, but most of the time, there are seven or eight players involved,” the German boss said.

“That’s the defending I’m talking about. Everybody’s responsible for everything. We have to do better.”

Centre-back, Joel Matip, a late substitute against Swansea, has been up for a first start since December 11.

An ankle injury was followed by an eligibility row with Fifa as it pondered whether he should be barred from playing for his club during Afcon for refusing to appear for Cameroon.

With Fifa ruling Matip could play for Liverpool, losing finalists in last season’s League Cup final after being beaten in a penalty shoot-out by Manchester City, he can now compete for a starting spot with Dejan Lovren and Ragnar Klavan.

Southampton head to Anfield with renewed confidence, having ended a run of four straight league defeats with a 3-0 win over champions Leicester City last weekend.

“It’s obviously a massive game for the club and we have to make sure we’re ready,” Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse said.

“We all spoke about how we want to enjoy Wembley, so we’ve got to get there now.” — AFP