Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp targets Wembley redemption as city eyes all-Merseyside affair

Jurgen Klopp has the opportunity to banish some of his own personal demons and fast-track himself into Anfield folklore when he takes Liverpool to their first Wembley final under his charge next month.

The Reds that highlighted the team's Jekyll and Hyde nature over the two legs, but ultimately it provides Klopp with a return to a venue that will undoubtedly stir up haunting memories for him.

The famous stadium could have been the scene of his greatest triumph as Borussia Dortmund coach back in 2013. Instead, it was the setting for anguish and melancholic contemplation as Bayern Munich left few doubts that Dortmund’s glorious, but short-lived period upsetting Europe's aristocracy was over.

Bayern had already wrestled back their monopoly of the domestic scene from Klopp and co by the time of the all-German Champions League final, but it was in England's capital where Dortmund's rampant, heavy metal surge towards Europe's peak began to fade thanks to a late, late 2-1 defeat. From there the team's stars began to leave and Dortmund were never the same again.

When Klopp looks back on his trophy-laden era of high octane, exhilarating Gegenpressing football at the Westfalenstadion, the narrow failure to land Europe's ultimate prize will be the wound that never quite heals.

Wembley was the significant signpost on his Dortmund side's downward trajectory, but the pain associated with the stadium could now be juxtaposed by one he can savour. It may yet be the venue where his Liverpool adventure gathers serious momentum, particularly if a first piece of silverware were to come at the expense of Merseyside rivals, Everton.

The Reds have not met the Blues in a major final since the FA Cup in 1989 and Klopp admitted in his post-Stoke press conference that he would love for Everton to get past Manchester City and compete with Liverpool in a “dream final for the city.”

Since the heady, early days of emphatic away wins at Chelsea and Manchester City, expectation has levelled out under Klopp and more than one or two doses of reality have been administered with some sobering defeats and disjointed performances.

This second-leg loss to Stoke was right up there with the worst of them. Liverpool had not been beaten by the Potters at Anfield since March 1959 and the turgidity of the home side's football for 120 minutes meant that the club's famous atmosphere, which Klopp had called upon in his pre-match press conference, was conspicuous by its absence for long spells.

The L4 air that so often reverberates with the passion of the Kop was simply flat. The lack of dynamism and creativity on the pitch projected onto the crowd and the tension and drama you would expect of a semi-final didn't truly materialise until the penalty shoot-out.

Frustration and dismay was all that gripped the supporters in the stands as Liverpool threatened to make some gloomy firsts a reality. The Reds had never lost a two-legged tie in any competition at any stage after winning the first leg away from home, while Klopp had triumphed in all four of his previous semi-finals with Dortmund, including victories over the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

After winning 1-0 at Stoke in the first leg, few believed the Potters would stun the Reds and pull off a shock comeback. This, however, was a close call. Marko Arnautovic's goal may have been offside, but in truth Liverpool didn't do enough over the course of the second leg to claim they were hard done by to be taken right to the wire.

Stoke will feel they were the more dangerous side and had chances to grab that killer second goal in extra time, but when it comes to shoot-outs, Liverpool so often prevail. Only Wimbledon (1993) and Northampton (2010) have beaten the Merseysiders on the nine occasions it has come down to penalties in this competition, while two of the club's more recent highpoints came as a result of triumphing from the spot, in the 2005 Champions League final and the FA Cup final 12 months later.

Liverpool didn't roar to Wembley: they limped there. But as Klopp led his players in a Dortmund-style bow in front of the Kop, it was clear that progress was all that mattered. At least this show of euphoric jubilation - and relief - came as a result of making a significant showpiece occasion and not following a last-gasp draw with West Brom.

As Klopp himself put it: "Reaching a final is great, but at the end it is only memorable when you win it and that is what you have to do."

If Liverpool go on to lift the League Cup for a record ninth time, few will remember this semi-final. Getting the job done regardless of a toothless showing meant it was mission accomplished.

It's clear Klopp has not transformed Liverpool in terms of consistent results just yet, but it appears they are edging in the right direction despite some glaringly obvious problems within the team. After all, he is not a magician. He cannot turn Liverpool's average squad into world beaters overnight. But he is a proven winner who has managed to steer his new club to a final within four months of taking the job. That's not bad by anyone's standards. Just ask Brendan Rodgers.

Klopp will be well aware that a squad overhaul is necessary, even if he remains publically coy on the urgency of the matter. There will no doubt be much restructuring over the next 12 months as he looks to put his own stamp on the Reds. In the meantime, a showpiece final against neighbours Everton or high flying Manchester City gives him the perfect opportunity to lay down an early marker.

Whether a victory will be the platform for future glory or merely a false dawn is a debate for another time. Nothing has been achieved yet, but Liverpool's own history - see Gerard Houllier and Roy Evans - shows it can prove to be both.

Manchester City will be confident they can overturn a first-leg deficit in the other League Cup semi-final on Wednesday night, but don't be surprised to hear Kopites cheering Roberto Martinez's Blues on. It's something the whole of Merseyside is baying for; a final of infinite bragging rights, one that neither team dare lose.

The League Cup is not the Champions League, but beating the Toffees in a final would go some way to papering over the cracks of a Liverpool team in need of some major surgery - and provide Klopp with a Wembley memory he could savour.

It's an intriguing prospect and one that could well become a reality. Over to you Everton, a city expects.