Image Credits: Imago Images
Anfield has felt plenty of gut-punches already this season, but the defeat to Manchester City landed with a different kind of sting for Liverpool supporters.
This wasn’t just about losing a statement game to a direct rival, it was about what it might mean for next season’s Champions League nights under the lights. With the table tightening and the margin for error shrinking, Sunday’s setback has left fans wondering whether Europe’s top competition might be slipping out of reach.
One of the few remaining lifelines is the possibility that 5th place could still be enough. Under UEFA’s revamped format, two extra Champions League places are handed out each year to the leagues whose clubs perform best across all three European competitions, using the association coefficient rankings.
If Premier League sides as a whole have one of the top two seasons in Europe, England earns an additional Champions League berth, and that spot would go to the team finishing just outside the usual top four. In that scenario, Liverpool could squeeze into the new league phase from 5th, even if they fall short of the old benchmark.
And according to Jamie Carragher, Slot will have to qualify for Europe’s premier competition if he has a hope of keeping his job at Anfield:
“I think it would be difficult to defend the manager or for him to stay in a job if you miss out on Champions League football, having won the title the season before,” he said on Sky Sports.
“It’s a bad one,’ Carragher said Liverpool’s defeat. “When you look at the league for Liverpool, it looks like a long way to get into the top five Champions League positions.”
‘There’s a gap now. You can make that up but Liverpool will have to do well in the two cup competitions to save the season. It looks a long way back.”
The Reds legend also added that Slot needs to sort out his attacking ranks:
“The manager has another decision to make on the front four,’” he said.
“If Liverpool continue the way they are, with a front four and the games end-to-end, I just don’t see how they can make the Champions League positions.”
“But no matter what Arne Slot does, the make-up of this squad and team isn’t right. It never looks stable, they are never in control.”
“There is a long road ahead for Liverpool to make the Champions League places.”
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