Obviously not because we’re in the same competition as them… It doesn’t take a genius to realise why you want your rivals to go far in competitions your team are not in because of the effect that fatigue can have.
For instance Pep, whilst disappointed to not be in the Carabao Cup Final is probably quite pleased Liverpool are because it’s another domestic fixture for them to handle.
This isn’t a novel concept. It’s also not hard to fathom so your shock at this outlook is a little OTT.
Quite simply the farther they go and more games they play, the likelier they are to incur injuries and fatigue and therefore drop points in the league. Yes we know they have strengthened their squad but they are reliant on a group of about four or five players to win them tight games.
If they crash out against Bodo and play one game a week for the bulk of the remainder of the season, they simply won’t drop many points.
History has told us on many occasions that when Rangers or Celtic go far in Europe the harder it becomes for them to win league games.
In the 2002/03 season, Celtic made the UEFA Cup final. Who won the league?
In 2007/08, Rangers made the UEFA Cup final. Who won the league?