'More than anything': Steve Nicol pinpoints why Liverpool really 'struggled' in Carabao Cup final defeat

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Liverpool’s hopes of winning a record 11th League Cup came crashing down, as they were beaten 2-1 by Newcastle United.

The Reds were far from their best on the day, with several Liverpool players disappointing at Wembley.

Arne Slot’s side were outthought and outfought by the Magpies, as Newcastle secured the win thanks to goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak.

Having been overrun by the Magpies for the majority of the 90 minutes, Liverpool fans claimed their side looked jaded throughout the final – something which has been echoed by Reds legend Steve Nicol.

• READ MORE:Frank Leboeuf left baffled by Arne Slot's 'big mistake' which really cost Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final

Steve Nicol claims Liverpool had ‘nothing left’ in Carabao Cup final

Despite picking up results, Liverpool have clearly been nowhere near their best in recent weeks, and that was on full display at Wembley.

The Reds simply could not deal with the intensity of Eddie Howe’s team, with Newcastle highlighting cracks within Liverpool’s squad.

Nicol has since honed in on Liverpool’s performance, agreeing with the claims that the Reds simply did not have the legs to deal with Newcastle’s relentless performance.

Speaking on the ESPN FC panel, the former Liverpool defender said:

“Having watched the game and thinking about what’s happened over the past couple of weeks. You kind of come to the realisation that Liverpool just had nothing left, to be quite honest.

“Newcastle on the other side of the coin went about it the right way, they swarmed over Liverpool, never let them play out from the back, made them kick it long and of course, with Dan Burn who is 6ft 7, up against Diogo Jota or Salah up against Livramento.

“Liverpool couldn’t get out and couldn’t get any possession. Newcastle really shouldn’t have been hanging on at the end of the game, they were miles ahead of Liverpool and Liverpool just didn’t have the legs in order to be close to their best.

“As I said, Newcastle deservedly won, but I think that, more than anything, they went about it the right way. They were physically superior to Liverpool and it showed, they were first to every second ball and most of the challenges. Liverpool just struggled from start to finish pretty much.”

Lack of squad rotation has cost Liverpool

Liverpool’s visit to Wembley was their fourth game in only eleven days – a busy run of fixtures which seems to have cost them dearly.

Extra-time and penalties against Paris Saint-Germain, clearly took it out of Slot’s men, with the intensity of both Champions League ties leaving their mark on the Liverpool squad.

With that being said though, many have been left questioning why Slot hasn’t rotated his squad more to give his players a much-needed rest.

The likes of Harvey Elliott have barely featured, meanwhile, Federico Chiesa hasn’t been given a chance in the Liverpool starting XI.

Hindsight is a beautiful thing, but if the Reds boss had rotated his players more frequently, Liverpool may not be in the situation they are in now.