Manchester United's thrashing of Chelsea condemned their bitter archrivals to the Europa League for the first time since 2016. Liverpool have played in the Champions League consecutively since the arrival of Jurgen Klopp. This is the first time in the German era that Liverpool has failed to qualify for the European elite league. The first time Klopp took Liverpool to the Europa League final, he lost 3:1 to Sevilla.
The last time Liverpool played in the Europa League, the quality of the squad wasn't as good as it is now. The only hindrance during this season's campaign was that they didn't recover their form on time, but they will enter the Europa League with this reinvigorated form. Not only their recent form, but hopefully there will be some additions who are ready to slot into the squad. Injuries to key Liverpool players who were in their prime form at that time also contributed to the Reds dropping to Europa.
The Reds see the Europa League as a hindrance and something unimportant because they belong to the European elite league. They have won the competition five times, making them the third most successful team in Europe. Imagine the pain Liverpool supporters and fans will go through, but it is an opportunity to win European silverware to cement their elite status.
It will be very bad for Liverpool if they fail to win the Europa League but qualify for the Champions League. There is no excuse if they didn't lift the only elusive trophy in nearby Dublin. I believe it is a target for the players to at least win that silverware for consolation and decoration. Though the draw for the Europa League will be held on Thursday, there will not be any team that will be a serious hindrance to stopping Liverpool from lifting the Europa League.
The Europa League will also be a perfect preparation and development ground for a couple of Liverpool players. The League will help develop players such as Nunez and Bajcetic and improve TAA's new midfield role. Players such as Diaz, Jotta, and Elliot will also have time to leave their mark in the European League.
The quality and depth of the squad will make them a team to beat. The new additions will also use the pre-season and the Europa League to prove their readiness and worth to the club. It has been very exciting to watch Liverpool on Thursday nights since 2016, when they surrendered to Sevilla in Basel. Klopp replaced Brendan Rogers after a series of poor runs at the beginning of the 2016 Europa League campaign.
The squad Klopp inherited at that time was new, and the system Klopp introduced was in its basic stages. There were also some players who were not good enough to be in this current squad but were part of the team that went into the finals. Klopp was also new at the club during that time, which means the telepathy between the club, players, and coaching staff was not there yet when the German managed to take the team to the finals.
What made Liverpool lose to Sevilla in the finals was the quality and fitness of some players. Klopp didn't sign any of the players who were part of the team that made it to the finals in 2016. TAA was at the academy unknown to Klopp at that time, no Mane, Salah, Van Dirk, Fabinho, Alisson, etc. All these instances show why the Europa League is a blessing in disguise for Liverpool because all the stakes show that they will be the team to beat in the Europa League, looking at the teams that have qualified.
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