Steve Nicol claims Liverpool could benefit from missing one season of European football
Liverpool’s season went from bad to worse after the recent 2-1 loss to out-of-form Leeds United, pushing the team to tenth in the league and eight points behind fourth-place Newcastle United.
Many factors have been credited for Liverpool’s bizarre season, just a few months after the team was competing for an unprecedented quadruple.
Factors such as injuries to key players and the loss of form of almost everyone in the first team have led to the current situation and speaking to ESPN (h/t Liverpool Echo), former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol believes that a year of no European football would do the world of good for Liverpool.
While making a reference to Chelsea’s year without European football which eventually resulted in the team concentrating on just the league and ending up winning it, Nicol claims that something of similar stature will be beneficial for Jurgen Klopp’s men.
“I don’t believe that for a second because when Chelsea didn’t get into Europe they managed to get Antonio Conte, who was one of the most sought after managers.
I’m just thinking if you’re not going to win the Champions League, I absolutely loathe that conference nonsense and then I’m asking myself do I really want to be in the Europa League – Thursday and Sundays? If you’re out for one season it’s not going to change an awful lot.”
In some ways the argument laid down by the former Liverpool man makes sense. For Liverpool finishing in the UEFA Europa League or UEFA Conference League positions would only create an added burden on the team who are in dire need of a transition after successful years at the top.
There is an urgent need for reinforcements with many players going past their prime and there is a general consensus that Klopp has done way more than what he was provided with by the owners and now the owners need to support the manager during the tough times.
With the manner in which the results are going against our favour, it would be wise to suggest that the gap between us and the top four qualification has the possibility of increasing further.
More Liverpool News:
- Robbie Fowler talks about his exit from Liverpool after receiving ‘Cristiano Ronaldo treatment’
- Liverpool gaffer Jurgen Klopp gives his verdict on the Reds’ loss to Leeds United
- Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp talks about the situation surrounding Arthur Melo
In such a case, as Nicol suggested, it would actually be beneficial for us to have no European football which would give the staff and players the time needed to develop through a transitory period.
