Liverpool will participate in the Europa League the following year. Although the Champions League was the preferred choice, there will be a chance for at least six stars.
Liverpool knew it couldn’t move up or down in the Premier League standings going into the season’s final game. Even though most would have been focused on the relegation fight, there may not have been eight goals scored evenly in a 4-4 tie if there had been more at stake.
Instead, the Reds were aware that they would be competing in the Europa League next season. Although Mohamed Salah may not be pleased about it, Jürgen Klopp and his players (both those who are already on the team and those who will join this summer) will need to accept that fact.
However, that ought to be relatively simple. The Reds will enter as favorites and should be able to advance through the group stages while making a few changes to the team to keep things interesting in the league. While it is obvious that being in the Champions League would be preferable, the second-tier European competition has some advantages as well.
Salah wants to play every minute of every match, yes, but there should be a chance for some rotation during the group stages of the upcoming season.
Caoimhn Kelleher — Although Klopp is understandably anxious for the Irishman to stay, he still has the option of leaving this summer. Naturally, Alisson Becker would have to be content to lose a few European matches, but that might be enough to keep Kelleher around for another year and put off a difficult transfer situation.
Joe Gomez: With James Milner gone, Gomez might get more playing time at right-back in the upcoming season, but the England international is much better at center-back. It might be the ideal time for him to play his preferred role in Europe. He needs consistent game time to revert to something resembling his previous form, as evidenced by the game against Southampton.
Kostas Tsimikas — Similar to Gomez, the Greek left-back won’t replace Andy Robertson in the bigger games but might see a chance to get regular playing time here.
Stefan Bajeti — The young prodigy will play a significant role for the group in the upcoming campaign. Bajeti must rotate with Fabinho in order to keep the Brazilian fresh, but his improved form is just about enough to suggest that he will remain the top choice at number six. The ideal opportunity might be the Europa League.
Fábio Carvalho — Despite playing only sparingly this year, there is a strong case to be made that Carvalho should be sent out on loan the following year to avoid slowing down his development. However, the Europa League might be enough to persuade him that there will be opportunities.
Darwin Nunez — Despite being healthy, the Uruguayan forward doesn’t see much action due to the fact that there are currently five first-team options available for the attack. Although the hierarchy can shift frequently, at the moment, Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota are in front of him. Don’t rule out Nez leading a push for the Europa League.
