Liverpool have very high expectations next season and will be expected to go the distance in every competition.
The Reds have spent big this summer and laid down a statement of intent to not only teams in the Premier League, but throughout the rest of Europe too.
The pressure on Arne Slot’s shoulders is now considerably higher than when he first joined last summer, with owners FSG backing him to the point where silverware should perhaps be guaranteed rather than a target.
With the Premier League won in his first season, of course the Dutchman will want to retain it, but he might be quietly eyeing up the Champions League a little more.
After finishing top of the new league phase last season, it did not prove too beneficial as they were knocked out the round after, however UEFA’s new rule change will mean that there are greater rewards for the higher you finish.
A general view of the UEFA Champions League trophy at the UEFA Champions League Draw for the 2008/2009 season at the Grimaldi Center
Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images
Champions League top four will be rewarded
After getting Paris Saint-Germain in the Round of 16 despite cruising to top spot in the league phase, many were left wondering if there was actually any benefit for finishing higher up.
Next season, however, there will be, with UEFA implementing a ‘home advantage’ rule which will start when the knockout stages begin.
ESPN have confirmed that teams who finish between 1st-4th in the league phase next season, will automatically play at home in the second leg during the Round of 16 and quarter-finals, if they get there of course.
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Whereas the two that come 1st and 2nd will be given home advantage in the second leg of the semi-finals as well, should they progress.
If any of these four teams are knocked out at any point after the league phase next season, the team that beats them will then inherit their home privilege status and play in front of their own fans in the second leg.
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This is a change that would have helped the Reds last season if they had beaten PSG as they would have played at home in the second leg for the next two fixtures, making their route to the final a little easier.
Liverpool are under pressure to win the Champions League
It is natural to desperately want something you either cannot have or simply haven’t had the chance to, and many of the Liverpool players fall into the latter category.
However, with the squad Slot has available to him, the expectation will be not just to compete, but to win the whole competition.
Many of the players will want that too as they have never won it, with Ryan Gravenberch even saying that winning the Champions League is his next goal.
Liverpool will also just want to prove a point as they were unlucky to be knocked out so early last season, with the Reds keen to add a seventh European trophy to their cabinet.