The goalkeeper spoke in preparation for the fourth round FA Cup game on Sunday.
Caoimhin Kelleher has become the backbone of Liverpool’s domestic cup campaigns in the last few years. His comfortable and commanding style of goalkeeping has helped to lead the Reds to several cup finals and brought home some pretty trophies to add to their collection.
After once again advancing to the League Cup final in midweek, Kelleher and his teammates prepare to stay alive in the fourth round of the FA Cup against Plymouth Argyle on Sunday.
The away match against the bottom ranked Championship side will likely see a heavy rotation of the men playing in front of him on the pitch. However, Kelleher understands that whether it’s academy teenagers or seasoned veterans, mentality plays a huge part in their team’s success.
“In the last few seasons we have obviously got to some finals. I think it’s just the mentality in the whole group is always spot on,” he told the official site.
“We want to win every game we’re involved in, and I think that’s kind of the mentality – game by game. Obviously we’re a difficult team to beat in cup competitions. We want to win every competition we’re in. It’s that mentality to go out and win every game.”
Kelleher knows about mentality. The Republic of Ireland keeper would be the guaranteed starter in almost any other team in the Premier League. He has provided the club with some clutch moments, including sinking the winning penalty in the 2022 League Cup final against Chelsea.
He said that Arne Slot stresses the importance of remaining strong and competitive on all four fronts, no matter who is on the pitch and no matter how difficult their opponent is.
“I think definitely the manager alludes to that a lot in his meetings with us,” he said. “It’s a squad that everyone needs to be ready to step in and everyone needs to play their part. He shows us all the time that there’s times in the season when you have injuries and in certain situations like that, squad players need to come in and do their bit as well.
“We train how we play, we’re always on it every day. That breeds good intensity into the squad, and everyone is ready to step up if needed.”
While on paper Sunday’s match-up should be an easy win for Liverpool, Kelleher understands that Plymouth and their home fans will be raring to go.
“The fans are going to be ready for us. It’s going to be a tough game,” he continued. “We want to go there and get a win, and we need to be ready for a tough game as well. Maybe they’re not having the best season but that kind of goes out of the window in a cup tie. They might see it as a chance to ignite their season and get something going, especially with us coming into town. It’s going to be a massive day for them. We know they’ll be well up for it.”
These early round domestic cup games are always fun to watch, to see the young players stretch their legs and get some first team experience under their belts. It will be interesting to see which senior players Slot fills in around them to provide stability and leadership in the team as well.
Kick-off is Sunday at 3PM BST / 10AM EST.