Liverpool fans were hoping for a Premier League title race this season and now we face the chance of no European football because of a poor campaign, leading to Jurgen Klopp being asked if missing out on Europe could benefit the squad.
Speaking with the media, the 55-year-old said: “The lower we finish this season, the easier it will be to improve from there – is that enough [to secure European football], I don’t know but it’s not about that in this moment.
“We cannot care about top-six, top-four, whatever – we have to care about the next game. Win a game, with another one, with another and win another one – we are capable of doing that”.
Next season will be 10 years since the Brendan Rodgers campaign where no European football helped us launch an unlikely title charge and, now with a more experienced squad and management, there’s no reason as to why that wouldn’t be a benefit again.
However, that would mean a very bad end to this season and that knock-on effect of poor results may have more long-term negative implications than freeing up the calendar could provide positive ones.
You can watch Klopp’s comments (from 2:05) via BeanymanSports on YouTube: