In a genuine Liverpool-season manner, the 2016-17 campaign is getting extremely unpredictable for the Merseyside Reds, as they seek to secure a place among Europe’s top teams.
Are Liverpool Still on Course for the Champions League?
Towards the end of last season, Liverpool sacrificed the Premier League in order to go all-out for Europa League glory, only to end up beaten by a very inspiring comeback from Sevilla in the second half of the final. Their hopes of Champions League football for this season, or indeed any European football, ended that evening in dismay.
This time around, however, they seem to have secured involvement in Europe for the next campaign, and all that remains to be decided is which of the two UEFA competitions they will be taking part in.
Even without European engagements, as well as a mid-season exit from the FA Cup, their Premier League ride wasn’t smooth, but full of turmoil appearing and reappearing in various stages of the term. One thing that never seems to change with Liverpool is that they are always capable of surprising anyone, in both possible ways. They remained unbeaten by any top-six side to the end, but the large number of points lost to lower opposition has cost them dearly, first to go out of the title race, and now even top-four placement is heavily under threat.
Just as it was beginning to look as if they would make it easier for themselves after winning at Stoke City and West Brom, Klopp’s men yet again succumbed against Crystal Palace at home. Then they beat Watford, rekindling the hope, but failed to score in a frustrating home draw against Southampton. Things again started to look cloudy, but later that day Arsenal put them back on track by beating Manchester United at the Emirates.
And while the Premier League trophy slowly makes its way towards Stamford Bridge, Liverpool are once again in control of their own destiny. A win against West Ham at the London Stadium followed by another one against Middlesbrough at Anfield would see them make the top four, regardless of other results.
What makes the whole situation potentially problematic for them is that they seem to have lost the flair that adorned their style of play, and even in the games they recently won they seemed more like carrying bags of cement or digging trenches, as opposed to the way they danced through the most of the early part of the season.
The first-choice XI Jurgen Klopp had identified in that period remained unbeaten by any side, even taking the scalp off the probable champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Most of the summer signings made significant impact whilst the club remained on level terms in regards to spending, and that’s certainly an important indicator of the quality of the work the former Borussia Dortmund manager has done so far.
But that time now seems long gone, and since November, Liverpool have very rarely been able to deploy that deadly line-up due to injuries and the African Cup of Nations. There was even a short period when Joel Matip didn’t play because FIFA took their time in taking an official position as to whether the Cameroonian was eligible to play for the club while the AFCON went on, after refusing to play for his country.
That span of games badly exposed the lack of proper squad depth, and with the club certain to add one more competition for next season, this problem is definitely one that Klopp will have to look into during the upcoming summer.
Be that as it may, Liverpool are still in a position they would have gladly accepted for this stage had it been offered to them in August last year. With Middlesbrough suffering defeat to Chelsea on Monday and thus losing all chance of survival, none of Liverpool’s opponents in the last two rounds will have anything to play for.
That, however, can be misleading when it comes to the Premier League. Sunderland had also been already relegated when they won away to Hull City, who badly needed those points. More to the point, West Ham seriously dented the title hopes of second-place Tottenham Hotspur by beating them at the London Stadium. The way Crystal Palace came back from 3-0 down to put the final nail in the coffin of Liverpool’s title shot in 2013-14 is surely still vivid in the memory of any Liverpool fan. Therefore, the Reds can by no means afford to relax or to take anything for granted in the last two fixtures, and more hard work seems to be in store for them.
After reaching two finals last season, along with their iconic stadium being increased by some 8,000 seats in capacity last summer and reportedly set for another expansion soon, the club’s return to the UEFA Champions League would be a boost of huge significance on their way back to the top. It would certainly help them keep hold of their key players, something they haven’t been able to do in recent years, as well as to attract top players that are considering their options for the summer.
There is no doubt that everyone at Liverpool FC are aware of this aspect, but whether it will provide enough motivation for the players to perform and deliver, remains to be seen within the next two weeks.
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