Is the Europa League final defeat a blessing in disguise for Liverpool?

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Liverpool missed out on the chance to become Europa League winners on Wednesday night after a hapless display in Basel. Sevilla were convincing 3-1 winners in a game that was believed to be the start of something special for Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool. The Reds could have secured Champions League football next season and put themselves back on the map; not to mention the extra money Jurgen Klopp would’ve had to spend in his first summer transfer window.

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Despite the disappointment of being beaten in one of the Red’s biggest games in the last few years, there are plenty of reasons why Liverpool fans should be optimistic heading into 2016/17 season without European football.

Firstly, it’s worth remembering what Liverpool did in 2013/14 without having to compete in Europe. The Reds fell one win short of securing the Premier League title – although many cynics would put that down to the sole contribution of Luis Suarez.

However, Leicester City provided more evidence to suggest that having only the Premier League to focus on can prove pivotal when The Foxes defied all odds this season by winning the title with a largely unchanged side.

It may be an optimist’s viewpoint to say Liverpool can reach those heights next season, but with Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City having to adjust to changes in management, along with the distractions that the Champions League and Europa League bring, a top 4 push doesn’t seem out of reach for Liverpool.

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Jurgen Klopp will be afforded more time on the training field to work with his squad throughout the 2016/17 season which will be a godsend for the German as there were times this season where Liverpool were playing 3 matches a week. Having such a large amount of fixtures this season – 63 in all competitions – put a major set back on this year’s league campaign, finishing in a disappointing position of 8th and picking up some serious injuries along the way. However, new additions to the squad should improve on last season’s inconsistent domestic campaign along with building on the progress made in the cup competitions which saw Liverpool reach two finals.

Klopp has a fantastic record in the transfer market, particularly with young and up and coming players. In his first season with Dortmund, he brought in Subotic (19), Sahin (19), and Schmelzer (20).

All three of these players had crucial roles in Dortmund’s rise to prominence in 2010 and for saying the club finished 12th the season before they moved to Dortmund, it really showcases Klopp’s eye for top talent, particularly those that aren’t household names, is something Liverpool’s owners FSG need to be fully committed in backing him financially

In his time at the Westfalenstadion, he also bought and developed players such as Marco Reus, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Sven Bender, Shinji Kagawa, Ilkay Gundogan, Mats Hummels and probably his biggest success of all, Robert Lewandowski, all for relatively low transfer fees with most starting off as players not many had heard of, much like some of the players Liverpool have been linked with signing this summer.

The rumoured reunion with Mario Gotze suggests that Klopp can still attract top talent even without Champions League football which should give Liverpool fans encouragement going into the summer transfer market.

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The Reds have already wrapped up deals for Cameroon Defender Joel Matip who made it into the Bundesliga team of the year this season for a free transfer along with promising Serbian midfielder, Marko Grujic and one of Germany’s finest young Goalkeepers, 22-year-old Loris Karius. These are all young players which are encouraging for the future and will add to the wealth of promising young talent Liverpool have in the ranks already such as Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino, Emre Can and Divock Origi who are all under the age of 25. All these players make for a pretty impressive spine on which to build on, not to mention some of the most experienced heads in the team such as Nathaniel Clyne, Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge.

If Gotze was to sign, Klopp looks to be targeting improvements in all areas of the pitch in order for the Reds to challenge the top clubs in the league and with the German getting more time to prepare his side for fixtures in the Premier League, this should give the players time to gel with each other and should leave them well-equipped for a top 4 push. However, if Klopp’s impressive transfer record is anything to go by, along with momentum taken from this year’s impressive cup runs and key players hitting form, Liverpool have a great chance of capitalising on not being in Europe next season.

Featured Image – All Rights Reserved by Safraz Ali.