Liverpool’s fifth-placed finish means that the round-of-16 tie they played against Real Madrid will be the team’s last UEFA Champions League appearance for at least 18 months. The Reds experienced a poor season and in truth were fortunate to mount a late charge for the top four. Jurgen Klopp’s side will play in the UEFA Europa League next season, but they will be desperate to return to Europe’s top table as soon as possible.
City’s UCL success
Manchester City have a huge chance of winning their first UCL title in Istanbul this year, and they could even win two trophies by the end of next season. The Reds’ main competitive rivals of Klopp’s reign could win Europe’s greatest prize, while Liverpool will not feature in the competition until the 2024/25 season at the earliest. In Champions League odds, Guardiola’s side are offered at 4/9 to lift their first UCL trophy in Istanbul.
Both Liverpool and City have thrived off each other during the period that Klopp and Guardiola have managed the teams. The unprecedented levels that both teams reached, motivated the other to improve further and further. Liverpool has lagged behind this year, but the success of their rivals will surely motivate them to put things right next campaign.
Jurgen Klopp is still the last manager to win the Bundesliga over Bayern Munich and the last manager to win the Premier League over Manchester City 😮 pic.twitter.com/TlYC5gSszs
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 30, 2023
Liverpool must take advantage of their squad’s prime days
Aside from looking to keep up with City’s progress on the pitch in Europe. Liverpool must quickly improve next season in order to take advantage of the remainder of their key players’ prime days. The likes of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk are not getting any younger and their quality is more than sufficient for the UCL stage.
It is vital that Liverpool return to the peak of European football at the first time of asking. This would ensure that Salah and van Dijk get the chance to extend their rich legacies in European football. There is also the question of whether Liverpool’s top stars would stick around for a second successive season without UCL football.
Mo Salah won’t leave Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp confirms: “Mo loves being here ar Liverpool, for sure”. 🚨🔴 #LFC
“If ever a player would come to me and says, ‘We didn’t qualify for the CL, I have to leave’, I’d drive him to another club. It is not the case with Mo — not at all”. pic.twitter.com/4lKTjgzI3f
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 26, 2023
Liverpool are set to make a number of reinforcements in the transfer window this summer. But in the remarkable outcome that they missed out on UCL football again despite making improvements, perhaps key players would wish to move on. A football career is relatively short, and Liverpool’s world-class players may not want to spend a significant period out of Europe’s strongest competition.
Potential routes back into the UCL
Liverpool will have two potential routes that would lead to UCL qualification next season. The traditional route of the top four is one they failed to achieve this season. The side will be playing on Thursday nights in the Europa League next season for the first time since 2016. That could make qualifying for the UCL via their league finish even more difficult.
Klopp could instead take the Europa League extremely seriously. Winning Europe’s second-rate competition would guarantee Liverpool a place in pot one for the UEFA Champions League group stage of 2024/25. Perhaps Liverpool’s squad could even be so strong next year that a rotated side could contest the European competition. Liverpool’s main team could look to ensure they finish in the top four next campaign.
This is the first time Liverpool will face a season without UCL football under Klopp since 16/17. They must now return at the first time of asking, or they could face the consequences of wasted primes, and star players departing. Of course, Guardiola outdoing Klopp’s European trophy haul would also threaten the German coach’s legacy.