Having secured a second successive League Cup final appearance by thrashing Tottenham 4-0, attention now swiftly turns to the other cup competition of the week as Liverpool make the 600-mile round trip to Plymouth Argyle on Sunday.

Even the most staunch traditionalist might find this one a tough sell for the Premier League-chasing, Carabao Cup finalists and if there is to be a tangible benefit to this weekend's fourth-round tie, it is that it at least gives Arne Slot the ability to wrap his big guns in cotton wool, ideally back on Merseyside.

Slot has already proven himself to be a man of pragmatism, having left at home virtually all of his major players for the recent Champions League defeat to PSV Eindhoven and Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and co all watched on at home as a much-changed team were beaten 3-2 in Holland.

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The bounty handed out for a victory in the reformed European Cup at around £2m was clearly not countenanced by Slot and his staff and one suspects that even fewer considerations will be given to being potentially shouted down for his team selection when they travel to Home Park.

Slot might find himself in the eye of a storm that rages inside the teacup should his high-flying side stumble this weekend but given what is really at stake now for Liverpool in a season where Manchester City have fallen off a cliff, the FA Cup should be seen as collateral damage.

Defeat to a second-tier outfit is an embarrassing episode that the club would obviously rather sidestep and the competitive performance against Eredivisie champions PSV is enough to suggest a second string will be well equipped to beat a team who languish at the foot of the Championship table, should they remain professional.

Those picked for selection this weekend might well be playing for the rest of their own respective seasons too, given Slot will likely continue with the theme of using the full parameters of his squad if they can move into the fifth round of the world's oldest cup competition.

But there could be some downsides that will come with progress, however. The inevitable noise around a potential quadruple, despite the fact that no club has ever achieved such a feat, will be ramped up. It's counterproductive.

Two years ago, momentum grew organically the further Jurgen Klopp's side went and their hopes of a historic achievement were only officially ended when the Premier League campaign concluded to confirm them as 92-point runners-up to Manchester City.

That was the furthest any club has ever taken the chase to win every trophy in the same season, but the fact that the Reds were then beaten six days later in the Champions League final by Real Madrid to end up with 'only' the Carabao and FA Cup double should serve a cautionary tale for anyone dreaming of a season from the Gods in Arne Slot's debut campaign.

Liverpool found out just how challenging it can be fighting on all fronts only last year when plans for a wondrous send-off for Klopp fell by the wayside as the fixtures and injuries piled up simultaneously. Debates around the potential for a clean sweep did little to help before it all fell apart after the March international break.

Talk of winning the lot is a fanciful notion and given the Reds have the opportunity to stretch their Premier League advantage to nine points against Everton next week with that long-awaited game in hand, ambitions of doing so may even distract from the overriding aim of title No.20.

Anything else after that - including a Champions League triumph - should be considered a major bonus, even taking into account the overall strength in depth available to Slot now with a virtually fully-fit squad, Trent Alexander-Arnold aside.

For a club who have won just one championship in nearly 35 years - which was one they were unable to actually celebrate properly with their own supporters in 2020 - the Premier League must take full priority now heading into mid-February.

The gift horse should not be looked in the mouth and the most ideal part about this weekend's fixture list is it presents Slot with the opportunity to ensure all of his best players are as well rested and as prepared as possible for next week at Goodison Park.

That, for those who still champion the FA Cup, may sting but the reality is Slot's Liverpool have bigger fish to fry.

And if the Reds do find themselves in the hat for the fifth round next week, just don't mention the Q word. Not this time.