Forget the romance of the FA Cup, Jurgen Klopp’s relationship with the world’s oldest knockout competition has frequently resembled a loveless marriage.
Liverpool, the seven-times winners, haven’t been past the fifth round since he took over at Anfield. If they fail to reach the quarter-finals for a sixth successive year this season then it will be the club’s worst run in the cup since the 1950s.
It’s a grim record out of keeping with the thrilling transformation Klopp has overseen in leading Liverpool to Champions League glory and ending their 30-year wait for the Premier League title.
Early exits at the hands of West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers (twice), West Bromwich Albion and Chelsea have been greeted largely with indifference rather than bouts of anguish. The talk has been of having bigger fish to fry than chasing a trophy which has long since lost its sheen.
Klopp, who has used a staggering 70 different…
