Harry Kane’s “offensive” comments and Mohamed Salah’s “destroyed” entrance show why Liverpool must not go down the same path as the Brendan Rodgers era.
This year, Liverpool will compete for the first time since 2015/16. years in the Europa League instead of the Champions League. It was Jürgen Klopp’s first season at the club.
In the group stage draw, the Reds faced LASK of Austria, Union Saint-Gilloise of Belgium and Toulouse of France. This is definitely a favorable lot in terms of travel time, but still the difference for Liv in some matches.
When the action takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday night, a Liverpool side, finalists in three of their last six tournaments, will have the unusual feeling of looking ahead.
That’s exactly how Harry Kane found himself doing much of his career at Tottenham Hotspur before eventually deciding to pursue bigger ambitions. This summer he secured a move to Bayern Munich.
“As a competitor, when the boys are playing in the Champions League and I’m just sitting at home watching it, I’d be lying if I said a part of me didn’t hurt,
” Kane said of joining England. to the camp for the first time since his transfer, through The Independent.
Since 2010, Spurs have qualified for Europe’s top club competition just five times (2010/11, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2022/23). It was mostly a Europa League team, but it also appeared in the European Conference League and sometimes missed continental football altogether.
While fifth or sixth place may seem like a disaster as soon as it is confirmed, the reality is that it is normal for members of the ‘big six’ to spend time away from the Champions League.
Mathematically, every season so far (provided none of them win the Europa League) has at least two to miss.
Manchester City, who have not been in the second-tier competition since 2012, are the only real exception, but were also in the unique position of being beaten by the country.
For the other five, the question is how quickly they can re-establish themselves as a Champions League club after relegation.
Despite the fact that Chelsea after 2022/23. Despite their 12th place finish in 2018 and not appearing in Europe at all this year, Chelsea have generally done well, failing to qualify for the Champions League just three times between 2010 and 2022. However, it was a different story with Arsenal and Manchester United.
The Gunners are finally returning to the holy grail this season after a grueling six seasons, while United have spent as many seasons out of the Champions League as they have in it since Sir Alex Ferguson left.
Liverpool endured a similar barren run prior to Klopp’s days, qualifying just once between 2010 and the German’s arrival in 2016, but must ensure this time is an aberration.
“Totally shocked,” Mohamed Salah wrote on Twitter last season when Liverpool’s defeat was confirmed.
“There’s no excuse for that. We had everything we needed to qualify for next year’s Champions League and we failed. We are Liverpool and getting into the competition is the bare minimum. Sorry, but it’s too early for an uplifting or optimistic message. We have deceived you and ourselves.
After that initial “devastation” wore off, there was a more defiant atmosphere within the squad, a sense that 2022/23 was simply a gap and the team would recoup the expenditure needed to revive the squad. .
Liverpool started strongly, picking up 10 points from a possible 12, but it is still very early days. One of the nicest aspects of the Klopp era is that the club has once again become one of the most sought-after destinations, rather than a step towards the top. But if Liverpool go back to the old ways of the Brendan Rodgers years, stars who should be competing on the biggest stages like Salah are sure to be unhappy. In fact, he somewhat echoed Kane’s sentiments in a statement in May.
Taherefore, Liverpool’s priority this season should be to regain a place in the Champions League, and not a bold title chase.
