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Liverpool summer signings face unexpected challenge as Champions League reality dawns
Jurgen Klopp may have barely believed it achievable by his Liverpool players less than two months ago.
But there’s no escaping the fact had the Reds boss been informed at the start of the season his team would regard finishing fifth as any sort of accolade, he would assume something had gone very, very wrong.
The reality of missing out on the Champions League for the first time in seven years is now beginning to dawn on Liverpool. Sorely missed will those nights be pitting their wits against the continent’s elite.
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Hey, even the Europa League anthem isn’t as good as tune dedicated to its big brother (even if it’s infinitely more appealing than the Premier League monstrosity).
Trying to spin positives from a situation that appeared inconceivable 12 months ago to a team that had just narrowly missed out on winning a quadruple is a difficult and perhaps foolish task. A blessing in disguise it most certainly is not.
Klopp, though, was right in one assertion made when it was mathematically certain Liverpool would be consigned to Thursday night football next season.
“If somebody wants to go through the whole year and think ‘yes, but it’s not Champions League’ then I cannot help that person,” said the Reds boss. “If you are constantly worrying about what you could have done differently – all these ifs – they are not important anymore and they are not helpful and if they are not helpful then knock them out. People may think maybe here or there we won’t put 100% attention in. Nope. We will be all in.”
Indeed, now is not the time to plunge heads into the sand. Yes, the Champions League is the pinnacle, as Liverpool know better than any of their domestic rivals having reached three of the last six finals. But it won’t be happening next season. The immediate task is to ensure the sojourn is brief while embracing the Europa League.
And what Klopp must do is extract the maximum amount of advantages from an evidently unwanted situation.
Key to that will be squad rotation. 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 of game time for not only fringe players and youngsters, but also new signings still trying to adapt to the methods of Klopp and Liverpool.
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After all, the Reds boss has shown in previous Champions League group stages he isn’t averse to looking 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 being given minutes.
There could be a decision to make on Kelleher. While Klopp doesn’t want to part with the goalkeeper, there’s no doubt the Irishman has reached a crossroads in his Reds career. The League Cup offers minutes but, unlike the previous campaign, this year saw the run end after just two matches. Naming Kelleher as also Europa League goalkeeper – at least for the group stages – would guarantee at least six games and much greater first-team exposure, and could perhaps persuade him to resist expected overtures from potential suitors this summer.
Similarly, teenagers such as Bobby Clark, Ben Doak and in particular Bajectic, who all broke into the Liverpool first-team this season, can expect extended game time. And the group games and possibly beyond can help keep sharp whichever squad players have been featuring only intermittently in the Premier League, which in turn will allow some of the first-team regulars to stay fresh for the attempt to regain a top-four berth and a place in the Champions League.
Plus there’s the added bonus of there being fewer chances of having top-flight games arranged for 12.30pm on a Saturday, a time when Liverpool played six times this season and won none, losing three.
The Europa League isn’t where the Reds want to be next season. But it’s happening. And it would be foolish not to wring every last drop out of the competition.
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