da jogodeouro： “The Champions League is THE competition. We want to be part of it.
da esoccer bet： “To get there we have to win a few games.”
Jurgen Klopp made it pretty clear in a recent interview with the Liverpool Echo that being in the Champions league is his aim ahead of 2017/18.
Liverpool fans may not want to think of getting a place back at Europe’s top table as the ceiling of the club’s ambition this season, but it looks as though that’s the case after a title charge was somewhat deflated by a poor run of form during January that saw them slip away from leaders Chelsea, who now boast an eleven-point gap over the Merseyside club, who themselves sit fifth in a congested top end of the table.
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But here’s the thing: do Liverpool need to be in the Champions League next season to progress to the next level under Klopp?
Here are arguments for both sides of the coin, so read on and vote below…
Yes
Liverpool cannot rely on their history and reputation any longer in the transfer market. Not so long ago the Reds were buying players who remembered an era in which the club were true greats of the English game, with those who grew up in the late 1970s and 1980s familiar with the Merseysiders challenging at top of the then First Division and competing in Europe, but those days are gone. The modern era’s emerging talents are children of the 1990s and 2000s, which was a point when Liverpool struggled domestically – as backed up by their lack of a Premier League title – making Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal the teams to pick, while Manchester City’s upward trajectory boosts their appeal.
It’s bigger than simply this, though, as Liverpool are a stagnating club. Only once since 2009/10 have they been in the Champions League (2014/15), and in that time their best players have systematically moved on. Fernando Torres, Javier Mascherano, Luis Suarez and Raheem Sterling have all had their heads turned, so there’s certainly a chance that Philippe Coutinho will have to follow suit before too long, regardless of the new contract he signed. The best players want to play at the highest level and if Liverpool cannot offer that, they’ll be consistently replacing key men and standing still, rather than progressing.
There’s also the factor of attracting big names. Last summer Klopp wanted Mario Gotze, yet the German playmaker opted for Dortmund and Champions League football, despite the huge sway of being reunited with the coach that had such a big impact on his career. This may be a blessing in disguise given the player’s struggles this season, but there are surely targets out there Klopp is desperate for that will not look as dewy-eyed at Liverpool as he does them and would, crucially, be excellent in his XI.
The Anfield club have no doubt been excellent in spells this season, but it’s hard to get away from the feeling that one or two more world-class talents would have got them through a tricky winter period with more points, which may have left them as realistic challengers for Chelsea at the top of the table now.
No
What matters more to players now: Champions League football or money? The cynic in us says the latter, and Paul Pogba’s move to Manchester United last summer has done little convince otherwise. Despite being out of Europe’s top competition, the Red Devils simply outbid every other club willing to buy the Frenchman and offered him a massive salary to move back to the very same club that deemed him not good enough just four years previous. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, too, moved to Old Trafford, while N’Golo Kante swapped a Champions League adventure with Leicester for the chance to sign for Chelsea, who have no form of continental competition to play in this season.
Liverpool’s own record in the transfer market on the back of Champions League qualification is not great either. Remember the summer of 2014, anyone? Luis Suarez left despite the good feeling at Anfield and the club promptly blew in excess of £100m on new players, with lowlights being Lazar Markovic, Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert. Up until the current season, the jury remained out on the £40m+ double deal for Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana, while Alberto Moreno is out of the team in favour of a midfielder playing left-back and Emre Can’s long-term future is not overly clear.
Some of the club’s best business in the last 15 years has actually come without Champions League action, with Daniel Sturridge, Philippe Coutinho and the aforementioned Suarez all snapped up free of the lure of Wednesday evenings under the floodlights. There are players out there that fit Klopp’s system that can be purchased without dangling Champions League football in front of them, just look at Sadio Mane, who has been a runaway success at Anfield thus far.
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