Ian Doyle examines the reality facing Liverpool after the Reds’ failure to make the Champions League in the most recent Blood Red column
It’s possible that less than two months ago, Jurgen Klopp hardly thought his Liverpool players could accomplish it.
There is no getting around the fact that if the Reds manager had known at the beginning of the season that his team would consider finishing fifth as any sort of honor, he would have assumed something had gone horribly wrong.
Liverpool is starting to realize that they will miss out on the Champions League for the first time in seven years. Those nights of pitting their wits against the continent’s elite will be sorely missed.
Even the Europa League anthem, while infinitely more appealing than the Premier League monstrosity, isn’t as good as the tune dedicated to its big brother.
Trying to find positives in a situation that seemed inconceivable a year ago for a team that had just missed out on a quadruple is a difficult and possibly foolish task. It is most emphatically not a blessing in disguise.
Klopp, on the other hand, was correct in one statement he made when it was mathematically certain Liverpool would be relegated to Thursday night football next season.
“I cannot help someone who wants to go through the whole year thinking ‘yes, but it’s not Champions League,‘” said the Reds manager. “If you’re constantly worrying about what you could have done differently – all these ifs – they’re no longer important and no longer helpful, and if they’re no longer helpful, then knock them out.” People may believe that we will not devote our full attention to certain tasks. Nope. We’ll go all in.”
Now is not the time to bury our heads in the sand. Yes, the Champions League is the pinnacle, as Liverpool knows better than anyone else, having reached three of the last six finals. But it’s not going to happen next season. The immediate task is to keep the trip short while embracing the Europa League.
And Klopp must extract as many benefits as possible from an obviously unfavorable situation.
Squad rotation will be critical to this. With Champions League failures not dropping into the competition until the knockout rounds, the level of group stage opposition is likely to present an obvious opportunity for game time not only for fringe players and youngsters, but also for new signings still trying to establish themselves.
After all, the Reds manager has demonstrated in previous Champions League group stages that he isn’t afraid to look beyond the tried and trusted, with Academy players Caoimhin Kelleher, Leighton Clarkson, Billy Koumetio, Neco Williams, Rhys Williams, Conor Bradley, Max Woltman, and Stefan Bajcetic all getting minutes.
Kelleher could be the subject of a decision. While Klopp is adamant about keeping the goalkeeper, the Irishman has reached a crossroads in his Reds career. The League Cup provides minutes, but unlike the previous season, the run this year ended after only two games. Naming Kelleher as a Europa League goalkeeper – at least for the group stages – would guarantee at least six games and much more first-team exposure, and could persuade him to turn down expected offers this summer.
Similarly, teenagers like Bobby Clark, Ben Doak, and, in particular, Bajectic, who all broke into the Liverpool first team this season, can expect to see more playing time. And the group games, and possibly beyond, can help keep sharp any squad players who have only appeared intermittently in the Premier League, allowing some of the first-team regulars to stay fresh for the attempt to reclaim a top-four spot and a place in the Champions League.
Plus, there are fewer chances of top-flight games being scheduled for 12.30pm on a Saturday, a time when Liverpool has played six times this season and won none, losing three.
The Reds do not want to be in the Europa League next season. But it is taking place. And it would be foolish not to squeeze every last drop of competition out of it.
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