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The season continues apace, and the next round of the cup is a midweek showdown against the Canaries. The players will be on somewhat of a high having bagged the first domestic silverware of the season, though quite what physical condition some of them will be in is hard to say. Anyway: Energy. Nous. Grit. Luck. Intelligence. Skill. Heart. Motivation. Urgency. Style. Tempo. Accuracy. Ruthlessness. Drive. I don’t ask for much. The two sides met at a snowbound Anfield in the 3rd round of the Cup in January 1986. The Reds hadn’t won the competition for over a decade, and it’s a trophy that had eluded the great Sir Bob as a manager, just as it had when he was a player. He’d been a winner twice as assistant manager to Shanks, but for the umpteen league titles, 3 European Cups, 1 UEFA Cup and 3 League Cups he’d amass, the nearest he got to lifting the FA Cup was the disappointment of the 1977 final. Kenny is another who’d been thwarted in his efforts to win the country’s premier cup competition. In those days it was a massive deal and very much a showpiece occasion at Wembley. Kenny and the lads would put all of that to rights in 1985/86 by going all the way, and clinching a league and cup double to boot for the first time in the club’s history. Norwich were swept aside by Liverpool’s sheer power and ruthlessness, succumbing 5-0 thanks to goals from the forgotten man of that season Kevin MacDonald (who started the final too), Walsh, McMahon, Whelan and Wark. No dicey “magic of the cup” 3rd round shenanigans here. Just a composed and efficient display to ease into the next round. The big draw at movie theatres in January 1986 was another snowbound affair. The 4th film of the Rocky franchise, which Sly both directed and starred in. The franchise draws a bit of criticism at times for its heavy-handedness, not least in this film with its Cold War backdrop, but each brought its own story in such a way that the later films and Creed spin-offs could use those stories and add to them. It’s not bad going when you consider that the original was only ever intended to be a standalone tale. Rocky IV sees Balboa eventually have to go up against an opponent the likes of whom he’s never seen. Apollo Creed had been the cocky showman champion, and Clubber Lang had been the young hungry whippersnapper with ruthless fury. The Soviet Union’s Ivan Drago, played with ice-cold precision by Dolph Lundgren, was just a fearsome machine. Tall, remorseless (“If he dies, he dies” after turning Apollo into a bloody lifeless lump during an exhibition bout) and backed by the ruling Communist regime. A subtle picture it is not, but it’s a hugely entertaining one nonetheless. Much much better than the one that immediately followed it. In light of recent events in Ukraine, I was in two minds about choosing a different fixture and time period in order to select a different film, but on the same note, ruthless Russian (Soviet) ambition can be overcome even if it's punishing to endure. In light of the punishing effort put in at Wembley on Sunday, it’s hard to know how Klopp will go into this one. By necessity, he’ll have to do without a few of those who lasted the 120 minutes plus penalties as we are in the midst of a schedule where we play every few days for another 3 weeks or so. Legs need to be kept fresh, and others need the minutes. I’d imagine Big Joe, Ibou, Kostas, Harvey, Curtis, Taki and Div being part of the starting XI. I’m not sure if Kevin or Ali will get the nod in goal, but we might see several youngsters like Morton and Gordon given a run out just like they had been in the previous rounds. Dean Smith has bigger priorities than FA Cup progress to contend with, but this game might see his side in with a better chance than expected simply because we need to rest a number of players. Or, he could put out a similar blend of squad players and youth which means the game might be a disjointed affair for both teams. Whatever happens, as long as our players have the right mentality and focus, there’s enough about us to give us an edge. Go out there and show it.