Capital One Cup has less importance this season for current holders Liverpool says Brad Jones

Steven Gerrard of Liverpool lifts the trophy in victory after the Carling Cup Final match between Liverpool and Cardiff City (GETTY IMAGES)

Goalkeeper Brad Jones admits the Capital One Cup has less significance to Liverpool this season than when they won it in February.

However, he insists that does not mean the players who are picked to face West Brom at The Hawthorns tonight will take it less seriously.

A Wembley win over Cardiff secured the Reds' first trophy for six years but, since the change of management in the summer, the club has been undergoing something of a transition.

That has not been helped by their start to the season, which has seen them take just two points from five matches and leave the club in the bottom three.

Manager Brendan Rodgers is naturally prioritising the league and is giving fringe players and youngsters their chance in both the Europa League and the competition they begin their defence of tonight.

"Every game we want to go out and get results so obviously last year was good for the club to win a trophy and we did well in the cups," said Jones, referring also to Liverpool's run to the FA Cup final.

"This year is maybe a little bit different in terms of where the club wants to go and what we want to do.

"But we want to get results and tick along so it is important for whoever goes out to put on a show and hopefully get a result.

"You might see a few different players playing so it is a chance like it was at Young Boys in the Europa League.

"For us, whoever goes out, it is the same principle - we want to get the same result."

The youngsters gave a good account of themselves in Switzerland last week with a 5-3 win in their first Group A game.

Jones believes the club has enough talent among the up-and-coming prospects to be able to bring a number into the first team.

But he knows they have to prove themselves in senior football first.

"The manager put an inexperienced side against Young Boys, mainly up front, and we scored five goals," he added.

"If that is the case tonight the boys have proved they can do it once, although this may be a different proposition with a British side playing a different style of football to what Young Boys did as they gave us a bit of space.

"The boys who play are definitely going to show the manager that they are capable.

"Going into first team games is a different story but they can only prove that by going and playing.

"It is the only chance the boys are going to get to be really taken seriously.

"These games are perfect and you want a longer cup run so you can play more games and show what you can do, but that is up to us."

PA