Liverpool quadruple bid – how the Reds are already closer than ever to landing the 'Fab Four'

His side are chasing a ‘Fab Four’ that has never been done before, so it’s no wonder Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says talk of winning the quadruple is “crazy”.

In all, there have been a further 120 attempts by 15 different clubs in the last 62 years to become champions of England, conquer Europe and win the FA Cup and League Cup in the same campaign.

The feat has eluded everyone so far, and few make it to this stage: It’s not yet April, and when it comes to dates, Liverpool’s offer is already the fifth-best since 1960.

*Liverpool’s bid will last at least this long. If they beat Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup quarter-final on Sunday, their bid will be alive until April 12-13, and the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final. The FA Cup semi-finals will take place on April 16 and 17.

We are many miles into uncharted territory for Klopp, who is in his sixth full season at Anfield and has never before spent Christmas while still involved on more than three of these fronts.

Somewhat surprisingly, though, for a club with such an illustrious past, this is new ground for Liverpool too.

This is the Reds’ 24th attempt at a quadruple in the 47 seasons that has been possible since the League Cup was established in 1960-61 – the joint most with Manchester United, who were denied a try. in 1999-2000 when they didn’t. participate in the FA Cup.

While Liverpool won one of the requisite trophies in seven of those seasons, did some sort of double in four more and also managed a League, European Cup and League Cup treble in 1984, they had never made it to March until now. with their hopes of winning all four are still alive.

The club’s other recognized hat-trick, from 2000-01, is a remarkable achievement in its own right, but it doesn’t count as a quadruple try because they weren’t in the Champions League that season. They won the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and League Cup, finishing third in the league.

What’s on the menu for ‘hungry’ reds?

This is by far Klopp’s best attempt at an English quad, but that’s not saying much.

He has had four other opportunities since arriving at Anfield in October 2015, but his lack of interest in domestic cups meant those previous offers never got off the ground.

This season is different: Klopp is through to the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time and the Carabao Cup is already in the bag, prompting this message from Reds defender Trent Alexander-Arnold on the heels of their win over Chelsea at Wembley. final:

What’s next on the menu? Nottingham Forest are lurking in the FA Cup this weekend and Liverpool are secure in the quarter-finals in Europe; they find out their opponents later on Friday.

In the Premier League, they are a point behind leaders Manchester City, but they will play them on April 10 and they know they will be crowned champions if they beat them and win the other eight games they have left.

Besides the opposition, one of your biggest obstacles will be fatigue, mental and physical. Liverpool have already played 46 times this season and, if they go the distance in the FA Cup and Europe, they will play their 63rd match on May 28, the date of the Champions League final.

Good thing, then, that they have what Klopp calls “the strongest squad” of his time at the club. He’s gotten them this far and, with a possible 16 games in the space of 56 days after the next international break, his task only gets harder from here.

City’s depth of quality has made them the current masters of winning multiple trophies in the same season – they have done so in three of the last five campaigns, including a domestic treble in 2018-19, and are still seeking a Premier League- Champions. League-FA Cup treble this time.

However, not even they have managed to win all four and, like Klopp has taken pains to point out every time he is asked about it, his biggest rivals are proof of how difficult it will be to complete the sweep, even being as good as them.

*Not including the delayed 2019-20 season

Ignoring the 2019-20 campaign, when the break in the season due to the Covid pandemic meant Pep Guardiola’s side technically had a chance of a quadruple until the end of June, it is Chelsea who have remained in contention for more. time than any other club.

In 2006-07, their hopes were alive until May 1, when they fell on penalties to Liverpool in the Champions League semi-finals.

Two years later, Manchester United also went deep, date-wise, when they lost to Everton, again on penalties, in the FA Cup semi-finals on 19 April.

That United team won the Premier League and League Cup and came within three wins of the four major trophies, losing to Guardiola’s Barcelona in the Champions League final, and had to settle for ‘only’ two at final.

Who has tried before? When Burnley came close

Before the Premier League and Champions League era began in 1992, Burnley came closest to quadrupling in 1960-61 (the first four trophies of the season were up for grabs in England) when they came as late as March 15 before losing to Hamburg in the European Cup quarterfinals.

Back then, quadruple opportunities were much more limited: the European Cup was restricted to only the champions or holders of the league and, for eight of the 10 seasons between 1961 and 1971, the clubs that did qualify did not enter the Cup. of the league.

There was also no chance of completing it between 1985 and 1991, as English clubs were banned from Europe for five years, with league champions Liverpool serving a further year’s ban in 1990-91.

Since then, some great teams of the modern era have attempted to win all four trophies, and have fallen short.

United’s famous treble of 1998-99 included the FA Cup, not the League Cup; they were eliminated from that competition against Tottenham in the quarterfinals on December 2.

City’s ‘Centurions’, Guardiola’s side that broke the 100-point mark and set an all-time English top-flight record for most points in a single campaign in 2017-18, saw their offer terminated by Wigan. Athletic, of League One, in the fifth round of the FA Cup on February 19.

Arsenal’s legendary ‘Invincibles’ went unbeaten throughout the league campaign in 2003-04, but that was the only trophy they won that season and their quadruple hopes were dashed on 3 February by Middlesbrough, who beat them 3- 1 overall in the League Cup. semifinals

The Gunners’ best attempt at a clean sweep came in 2010-11, and it’s a warning to Liverpool how quickly things can go wrong.

Arsene Wenger’s side came within a point of Premier League leaders Manchester United on 23 February but, after a shock defeat to Birmingham in the League Cup final destroyed all four of their hopes, the February 27, they only managed one more league win in March and April and went as far as finishing fourth.

Barcelona beat them in the Champions League round of 16 on March 8 and United knocked them out of the FA Cup in the quarter-finals four days later, meaning a season that promised so much was undone in the space of two weeks. .

Liverpool can’t end up completely empty-handed that way, but this season will hardly look like a success if the Carabao Cup is the only trophy they have secured at the end of May.

*Does not include delayed 2019-20 season **Liverpool offer will last at least this long

• Our coverage of Liverpool is bigger and better than ever – here it is All you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment
• All Liverpool – go directly to the best content