Tuesday’s trip to Wolves could be the perfect opportunity for Jurgen Klopp to make changes and breed confidence

As Alisson Becker placed the ball into the arms of Kostas Tsimikas under the Wembley arch last May, the Liverpool defender was well-briefed on his assignment.

Score and Liverpool win their first FA Cup in 16 years and ensure Jurgen Klopp’s side would have their name etched into the archives of Anfield folklore once more.

Miss and Chelsea are handed a lifeline in the penalty shootout.

As the story goes, Tsimikas, perhaps previously viewed as one of the more reserved members of the Liverpool dressing room, would find himself aloft on the shoulders of the Reds’ Brazilian goalkeeper less than 60 seconds later after maintaining his cool and dispatching his penalty cleanly into the bottom corner.

In doing so, the juggernaut the Liverpool boss had constructed over the 2021/22 season strode into the final plays of the campaign knowing that a status of immortality was well within their grasp as they strived to hunt down both Manchester City and beat Real Madrid.

Even though an unimaginable four-peat narrowly evaded his side in the final weeks of spring, Klopp would have been mistaken for believing the defence of the FA Cup some six months later would represent their final roll of the dice in what has been a disastrous season on Merseyside.

Tuesday evening’s third-round replay with Wolverhampton Wanderers is potentially the ideal tonic for Liverpool to consume after their woeful showing at Brighton. While a win in the West Midlands would do little more than plaster over the ghastly wounds on show at Anfield this season, it would at least ensure that Klopp and his players have a realistic trophy to contend for between now and May.

But after the Reds boss finally conceded that last season’s mammoth 63-game exploits had hampered the success of his squad this time around, it begs this question: How will the German play his deck of cards at the Molineux stadium without aces Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Virgil van Dijk and – potentially – Darwin Nunez?

At the AXA Training Centre on Monday, Klopp hinted that there will be suitable rotation within his ranks following the quick turnaround his players face after contesting at the Amex Stadium some 72 hours earlier. It means that there is likely to be a rest for members of the midfield as Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Thiago all failed to impress in the 3-0 defeat to Roberto de Zerbi’s side.

Naby Keita, who has caught the eye since making his return from injury with a string of healthy cameos in recent weeks, is expected to start, while Harvey Elliott could be recalled after dropping to the bench in the weeks following the catastrophic outing at Brentford earlier this month.

Further afield, 17-year-old Ben Doak, who has been handed a fierce introduction to life as a senior pro on Merseyside since penning professional terms with the club in November, could be rewarded for his fine progression with a start against Julen Lopetegui’s men.

Although Liverpool will vow they are in no fit position to allow themselves to consider upcoming fixtures against Chelsea, Everton and Real Madrid in the next four weeks, there is no doubt that those enormous clashes that lie wait will weigh heavily on the minds of Klopp and Pep Lijnders as they contemplate how to stop their side’s recent deterioration.

Having seen their infamous defensive high-line brutally exposed by Brighton’s Solly March and Kaoru Mitoma on the south coast, Liverpool seriously need to consider whether they want to persist with such a risky approach between now and the end of the season. Especially in the absence of Van Dijk, who has himself struggled for form this term, it feels that such a legendary blueprint is doing more harm than good at Anfield right now.

Of course, it was two years ago that Klopp abandoned a similarly dangerous defensive line when he was without any senior centre-backs following injuries to the Reds’ No.4, as well as Joe Gomez and Joel Matip. And it was after ditching that philosophy that Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams were able to flourish as they helped claim a third-place finish in the Premier League.

Right now it feels like a similar approach is needed, starting immediately ahead of Saturday’s lunchtime clash with Chelsea. That means that while Klopp may have secretly disregarded the Reds’ chance of claiming a ninth FA Cup triumph in hope of making up the 10-point gap with Manchester United in fourth, Liverpool can’t afford to squander another opportunity for modification on Tuesday night.

While they have mainly been the envy of most sides in Europe since the German took the reins in October 2015, the Reds could take note from the events that have taken place at Old Trafford from October onwards and how Erik Ten Hag has utilised cup competitions to breed confidence throughout his squad and subsequently elevate the standard of their Premier League performances.

Of those used, no-one has fared better than Marcus Rashford, who has now scored in record-equalling seven-straight matches for United, including in both League Cup and FA Cup fixtures.

While Klopp would no doubt jump at the chance to relive the celebrations that took place in the capital last May, Tuesday night’s defence of their crown could have greater short-term ramifications than Wembley treasure as Liverpool bid to get their season back on track.