Where are they now? Liverpool’s XI from Jurgen Klopp’s first final in 2016

Liverpool’s victory over Tottenham ensured they reached the League Cup final for the second year in a row in what could be Arne Slot’s first trophy with the club.

The Dutchman shares a similar achievement to Jurgen Klopp, given that the enigmatic former manager also reached the final of the same competition in his first season in charge back in 2016.

With that in mind, we’ve looked back to see how the Liverpool XI who lost the 2016 final against Manchester City and where they are almost nine years later.

GK: Simon Mignolet

Now 36, Mignolet is going strong and enjoying life back in Belgium as Club Brugge’s number one keeper, starting all of their games in the league and Champions League.

After that final, he stayed at the club for three more years, as the emergence of Alisson Becker ensured he was never reclaiming his spot in the side. He then headed to Brugge in 2019 for a modest fee of around £6million.

His side dominated in the early part of his tenure there, winning the league title three times in a row before adding a fourth in the 2023-24 season. He also picked up the Belgium Cup in 2022 and has been a five-time winner of the Goalkeeper of the

RB: Nathaniel Clyne

Before the breakthrough of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Clyne was the first-choice pick under Klopp. He currently finds himself on the fringes at Crystal Palace at 33 – the club where he developed in their academy.

Unfortunately, he suffered a serious injury before the 2017 season which initially allowed Alexander-Arnold to break into the side. He then played second fiddle before heading on loan to Bournemouth in January 2019. Later that year he suffered another long-term injury Liverpool then confirmed they wouldn’t be renewing his deal and he departed after 105 games.

He then rejoined Palace for a second spell and has been something of a utility player under Oliver Glasner.

CB: Lucas

Despite having Kolo Toure on the bench, defensive midfielder Lucas was chosen to start at centre-back and he went on to play the entirety of the 120 minutes. He did miss a crucial spot-kick in the shootout, though.

The 38-year-old is now retired after hanging up his boots in 2023, but his 346 games for Liverpool stands as his longest spell at any club and he was well-loved by the fans for his efforts across a 10-year stay.

After leaving Liverpool in 2017 for £5million, he enjoyed a successful time at Lazio for five years, winning the Supercopa Italia on two occasions and the Coppa Italia as well as being named the club’s player of the season in his very first year. He then got a swansong move back to Brazil to play for Gremio, his boyhood club, for one last season.

CB: Mamadou Sakho (Kolo Toure, ’25)

Sakho’s career at Liverpool was certainly a puzzling one; he ended up leaving the game early due to injury and being replaced by the experienced Toure. Initially arriving from Paris Saint-Germain in 2013 for £18million, he was quickly thrust into the first team and was part of that side under Brendan Rogers that nearly won the title.

Injuries affected him during his time at the club and he managed just 80 appearances across three and a half seasons before being let go. There was also a doping scandal involving a weight-loss drug which he later received damages as well as falling out with Klopp which resulted in his demotion to the reserves.

Liverpool recouped a profit from him selling him to Crystal Palace where he played for four years before returning to France to sign for Montpellier. He now finds himself at Georgian club Torpedo Kutaisi at 34.

Toure retired in 2017 after a short stint under Brendan Rodgers at Celtic. He went into coaching and briefly served as Wigan Athletic’s manager in 2022-23.

LB: Alberto Moreno (Adam Lallana, ’72)

The flying Spaniard was the first-choice left-back before the emergence of Andy Robertson under Klopp and played 72 minutes before being replaced by Adam Lallana as the Reds looked to push on in the game, but the substitute was guilty of missing Liverpool’s final spot-kick which gave City the chance to win the cup.

Moreno, still only 32, plays under Cesc Fabregas at Como in Serie A as part of a really fun side that also features former Red Pepe Reina and the likes of Sergi Roberto and Andrea Bellotti. Having started 17 times in the league, he has been a key figure but injuries have hampered him in recent months.

After leaving Liverpool in 2019, he departed for Villarreal and managed to get one over Manchester United as he was part of the epic penalty shootout in the Europa League final, scoring his spot-kick as the Spanish side triumphed. He enjoyed five years there before leaving for his current role at Como.

Lallana is still going at the age of 36, back where it all began at Southampton.

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CM: Emre Can

The German midfielder was a favourite under Klopp around this time and he was the only player out of four to score his spot-kick in the final. Nowadays he finds himself as captain at Borussia Dortmund, and he helped guide them to an unlikely Champions League final last season.

Playing at centre-back and in defensive midfield, he’s totalled 185 games (more than his spell at Liverpool) and become a fan favourite. He left Liverpool after four seasons in 2018 for Juventus, where he won Serie A and the Supercoppa Italiana playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.

He initially went on loan at Dortmund with an option to buy before completing a permanent move in 2020. More success came in Germany as they won the German Cup and he remains a key starter at 31.

CM: Jordan Henderson

Henderson was part of the furniture at Liverpool during this part of his career and he later continued in the side, captaining them to successes in the Premier League and Champions League.

As it stands, the 34-year-old finds himself at Ajax, having joined in January 2024, where he’s made 45 appearances, mostly as captain. Before that, he found himself in the Saudi Pro League as part of the new football revolution.

He linked up with former Red Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq where he totalled 19 appearances before exiting after six months. Liverpool let him go in the 2023 summer window for £12million, as he ended a long and successful career at Anfield where he managed an astonishing 492 games.

LW: Philippe Coutinho

Somewhat surprisingly, his spot-kick was saved by Willy Caballero in the shootout but he did net a late equaliser in the final to take them to extra-time. Of course, his transfer to Barcelona in January 2018 is one of the most expensive deals of all time at £105 million rising to £142 million. 

That deal allowed Liverpool to bring in both Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk who have become club legends and led to huge success in the years since. Coutinho, however, saw a dropoff after that struggling in Spain before experiencing loans at Bayern Munich and Aston Villa before moving back to England in a permanent deal.

He played under Gerrard for a spell but after Unai Emery replaced him, Coutinho was cast adrift and headed to Qatar club Al-Duhail on loan before then-Brazilian club Vasco da Gama, where he broke through as a young player. Now 32, he is still contracted to Villa and has another year left on his deal.

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RW: James Milner

A utility player under Klopp, he began on the right wing against his former side, City, at the time, but he ended up playing all manner of roles in his Liverpool career after the final. He remained at the club for eight more years, helping in their efforts to win every available trophy except the Europa League.

Still going strong at 39, he finds himself as an experienced figure in the young Brighton squad, but he finds himself within touching reach of Gareth Barry’s Premier League appearance record of 653. Currently on 637, he may well just achieve the outstanding record this season but he’s been sidelined for the past few months due to injury.

His contract expires at the end of the current season and it is likely he will chase the record to cap off his exceptional long career.

CAM: Roberto Firmino

Another Liverpool legend, Firmino was just starting to get into his stride in 2016 before the arrival of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane. Klopp looked to build his attack around him and Coutinho and he went on to become a legend at the club in the coming years.

Winning almost everything – and playing a key role – he left after eight years at the end of his contract in 2023. He even netted an equaliser on his final outing in the league against Villa. After that, he joined the Saudi league, signing for Al Ahli to play alongside Riyad Mahrez and co, where he’s captained the side and managed 18 goals in 58 appearances.

ST: Daniel Sturridge (Divock Origi, ’80)

At the time, Sturridge led the line for Klopp’s side before he moved Firmino into the false nine role. He managed 13 goals in 25 games that season, including a beauty in the Europa League final defeat to Sevilla, but he then had to settle for a backup role in the following seasons before leaving in 2019.

He managed 68 goals and 20 assists in 160 games before leaving for Turkey and Trabzonspor for a season before ending his career at Perth Glory in Australia, retiring at age 33 due to injuries.

Origi replaced him in the 80th minute at that cup final but he never got around to taking a penalty following the misses from the trio of Liverpool players. The 29-year-old is at AC Milan but hasn’t played a single minute for the Rossoneri this season following his failed loan to Nottingham Forest.