Europa League or Fourth Place for LFC?

Monday saw the draw for the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, and it was a mixed result for the English teams.

Arsenal have the ultimate challenge in modern football against Barcelona, Chelsea, struggling so incredibly in the league, were drawn against French giants Paris Saint-Germain for the third year in a row, while Manchester City, after finally topping a Champions League group, were rewarded with a clash against Dynamo Kyiv.

Meanwhile, Tottenham were given the chance of revenge after drawing Italian side Fiorentina, who eliminated Mauricio Pochettino’s side from the Europa League a year ago. Manchester United were handed an easy draw on paper with Midtjylland from Denmark, and Liverpool will play Augsburg, who are making their debut in Europe. Jurgen Klopp will know them well, having played them in Germany while in charge of Borussia Dortmund.

Overall, the Reds should be happy with their draw, as the last 32 contained a number of very strong teams in the unseeded section, including Dortmund and Sevilla, who have won the competition for the last two years. Travelling to Germany will not be the most gruelling journey in the world, which could be vital if Liverpool do make the League Cup final in 2016.

However, how seriously should Klopp and Liverpool take the Europa League?

Liverpool are one of the most successful teams in the history of the tournament, previously known as the UEFA Cup. With three titles, the last coming as part of the 2001 treble under Gerard Houllier, Liverpool only trail Sevilla, who have won on four occasions, both back-to-back successes in 2006-07 and 2014-15.

Anfield always loves its European nights, regardless of the competition, given the glory and love that Liverpool fans have experienced on the continent. They are the most successful English team in European history, and have a chance of enriching that pedigree further this year.

The Europa League admittedly does not carry the same allure or prestige as the Champions League, or the same finances. However, in an era where the Premier League is experiencing unrivalled and unprecedented financial prosperity, the money is no longer as significant for English clubs in Europe.

With the Europa League containing more quality than ever before, already the last 32 draw has thrown up some great ties, meaning a few of the big teams will be knocked out before the competition really gets going, hopefully presenting Liverpool with a clearer path in Europe, should they progress past Augsburg.

Borussia Dortmund vs FC Porto, Fiorentina vs Tottenham, Galatasaray vs Lazio, Shakhtar Dontetsk vs Schalke, Villarreal vs Napoli and other fascinating clashes showcase the talent in the Europa League, but thanks to these draws that talent will be dwindling, giving Liverpool hope that their own draw may not be as arduous.

Furthermore, competition in the Premier League for a top four finish is becoming exceedingly tough, with the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham, and given their league position Leicester City. Plus, the likes of Everton, Crystal Palace and West Ham could threaten and provide the so-called bigger teams a run for their money.

With the finances of the league, the teams have bunched up and everyone can seemingly bring in top players from abroad, such as Dimitri Payet for West Ham and Yohan Cabaye for Crystal Palace.

It has helped lead to the unpredictability in the league this season – who would have thought Leicester would be leading the table almost a week before Christmas? The Europa League could present a clearer and arguably more comfortable route to Champions League football next season.

However, there are clear problems with prioritising the Europa League.

Firstly, if Liverpool were to go all the way in the competition, then they would add nine more fixtures to their long and tiring season, which could end up with trips all over Europe, adding massive strain towards their league campaign.

Combined with the injuries that all the top clubs in England have experienced this year from the extremely physical and competitive Premier League, especially this year, and there may be little left of Liverpool’s squad at the end of the season should they commit to the Europa League.

It may seem ridiculous, given how much money has been invested in the very best English squads, that they can no longer cope on a domestic and continental front but such is the reality, and the importance of achieving Champions League football, that one will come before the other.

Normally this is the domestic front, especially if a team is aiming for the title, but there are advantages for Liverpool to focus on fourth place instead of the Europa League.

This year’s unpredictability is actually one of the reasons why Liverpool have a chance of finishing fourth this season – almost in any other campaign they would be out of contention given the season they’ve had thus far.

Yet with all the teams around and above Liverpool dropping points too, as everyone is capable of beating each other in this league (with Bournemouth and Newcastle proving this in recent weeks), the Reds still have a chance if they can do something few teams have managed so far this season – go on a run of winning matches.

They would immediately climb the table, and given their kinder fixture list for the second half of the season (assuming the Reds sort out most of their problems at home) they would have a great chance of sealing fourth.

However, in order to produce such a run, they would likely need to retract their European interests.

Fans interested in silverware will look to the League Cup, where Liverpool already are in the semi-finals and have a winnable tie against Stoke City to make Wembley in February, while their FA Cup campaign will begin in January.

To have all these fixtures bunched around Europa League trips would be distracting, especially if the draw was unfavourable to the Reds.

Ideally, Liverpool would be able to compete for every trophy but, alas, their squad is not yet strong enough in quality, not numbers, and it is a similar story for the majority of the top English clubs.

Therefore a choice will eventually need to be made once Liverpool reach the crux of their season.

As long as the draw in Europe continues to be kind, Klopp can rest and rotate players and keep Liverpool involved on both fronts, then if the Reds make the semi-finals the likes of Philippe Coutinho can be unleashed in a quest for continental glory.

On the other hand, if the draw is harsh and Liverpool are in a good position in the league, as there are many matches to be played between now and February, when European competition resumes, then it may be best to focus on fourth. Success in the League Cup will be an influence here as well.

So time and draws will be the biggest indicators of Liverpool’s priorities this year, but undoubtedly at their best they have the talent to claim a fourth Europa League title.

However, fourth may be more realistic in their quest to reach the Champions League once again, with the League Cup offering the best chance of silverware.