Following a dominant Merseyside derby win, the hopes of Liverpool fans have been lifted somewhat. While the Blues were hardly at the races, Liverpool nevertheless impressed en route to a virtually unopposed 2-0 win.
With a potentially tricky Everton fixture out of the way, Liverpool can now focus on the more important task at hand – getting themselves back into Europe.
As things stand, Liverpool are 9th in the Premier League. They do have a game in hand, however – should they win it, they will be propelled up into 7th.
This would secure Liverpool a spot in the Europa Conference League – it’s a place in Europe, sure, but Liverpool fans will be hoping for more. Ultimately, if the Reds do not win a place in the Champions League, the season will be seen as a bit of a failure.
Currently, Liverpool are on 32 points, while the team in 4th (Newcastle) are on 41. Liverpool could close the gap to six points should they win their game vs Newcastle on Saturday at St. James Park plus they would still have a game in hand, so they could close the gap to 3 points if they win that.
At this stage of the season, a Europa League spot looks more attainable. They could potentially finish above Tottenham – Antonio Conte’s team are experiencing frequently fluxes in form and often find themselves dropping points.
Of course, Liverpool do have another option they could potentially exercise. They don’t need to finish in the top seven to get into Europe next season – but they will need to complete the menial task of winning the Champions League.
Should a Premier League team win the Champions League, they will automatically qualify for its group stage in the following season. This being said, it will be a monumental task for the Reds – they will play Real Madrid in their next game.
Even if Liverpool can make it past the Spanish giants, they could still be drawn against teams such as Napoli, Bayern Munich, PSG, Manchester City and Inter Milan. Of course, it’s not impossible – Liverpool are no strangers to European miracles – but it looks improbable at this stage.