Origi Eyes Deep EFL Cup Run

In the build-up to and the immediate aftermath from the League Cup showdown with Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool players have stated their desire to take this competition seriously and finish one position better than last year. Captain Jordan Henderson said as much. Experienced veteran Lucas Leiva said the same. And now Divock Origi has vocalized this—and I hesitate to use this phrase—locker room talk.

“We’re here and we want to go until the end. It won’t be easy, but we showed a lot of character,” the young Belgian striker said. “We just have to play with a big heart every time and I’m sure that we have the quality to go until the end.”

Thanks in part to his efforts, Liverpool now only need 3 more victories in order to lift the first silverware of the season. However, the final 8 will include Arsenal, either Manchester City or United, and possibly Chelsea, so it might not be an easy road.

Origi was pleased with his performance, but admits it was difficult getting into the game in the first half.

“At the beginning we had to find each other, we also changed the formation, but the coach told us just to play with our qualities and that he believed in us 100 per cent, and we have a lot of quality in the group.

“Of course, it’s been a while since I played 90 minutes so you have to get in the game, but I enjoyed the game. As a team, the more the game went on the more we found each other.”

Liverpool’s attacking players definitely grew into the game, and it was good to see some of these fringe players who haven’t been getting the necessary game time to continue their development. Before he was subbed off in the second half, Origi was starting to look every bit like the striker who was causing havoc for domestic and continental defenders toward the end of last season.

As of this writing, Liverpool do not yet know who they will be facing in the next round. But regardless of the opponent, it seems likely that Liverpool will be taking the match up very seriously.