In his first full season in charge, Jurgen Klopp took Liverpool into the top four for only the second time in the last seven years. The Reds will now enter the last qualifying round in mid-August, but coming fourth this season means so much more than just a chance to play in the Champions League.
Liverpool fans have seen a great deal of improvement under Klopp this season. The team has gone from eighth to fourth, from 60 points to 76, 63 goals scored to 78 and 50 goals conceded to 42. This is a great achievement, especially considering Liverpool probably have the weakest squad in the top six.
When the pressure was on, Liverpool ended the season in style in a must win game, a game with so much riding on it, not just Champions League football. Had Liverpool bottled the final game against Middlesbrough and allowed Arsenal to get top four, it would have been horrendous.
Making the top four this season could be a platform for future success at Anfield. Rival teams will obviously improve going into next season and if Liverpool had failed to make top four, they could have been left behind as everyone else progressed.
Chelsea are the champions and will continue to be one of the best teams in the league, Spurs continue to look stronger and stronger every year, Manchester City will develop into a true Pep Guardiola side after he has had a full season in charge and Manchester United will also be playing in the Champions League after winning the Europa League. Liverpool have to keep up with rival teams and not making top four would have put a serious dent in that. Imagine how hard it will be next season to get top four had Liverpool not got in this season. Liverpool can now kick on from there and try to establish themselves as a consistent Champions League club.
Liverpool also have to keep us with rival teams in the transfer market. Not having as much money as the likes of City and Chelsea made getting into the Champions League crucial to securing top transfer targets.
This summer’s transfer window will hopefully see Liverpool add the right players to compete in all competitions, something that might not have been possible had they finished fifth.
Why would someone like Virgil van Dijk reject champions Chelsea for Liverpool had the Reds not made top four? But now Liverpool can stand toe to toe with the likes of the Blues and realistically target players of that caliber.
Champions League football will make Liverpool an attractive destination again. This promises to be a big summer for Liverpool with players like Van Dijk and Naby Keïta rumoured to be targeted, players who without Champions League football would most likely just be an unrealistic dream. To compete with the best you have to buy the best and being in Europe’s top competition will give Liverpool a greater chance of buying top players.
Making top four will also allow the club to take one step closer to fixing the mentality issue it has faced for years. Too many times have we seen Liverpool crack under pressure. Just one trophy has been won in the last decade. When Liverpool get to the last hurdle, they always fall. Not getting top four this season would have been a story we have heard far too often as Liverpool fans, coming so close but just not getting over the line.
Now, for the first time in a while, the club has set a target at the beginning of the season and that target has actually been achieved. A winning mentality is key to success and everyone from players, staff and fans should have that winning mentality and getting into the top four will take Liverpool one step closer to getting that.
Getting into the Champions League obviously isn’t the be all end all, but it’s a step in the right direction. This is a long term project and a fourth-place finish is just one chapter in the Jurgen Klopp story at Anfield.
This could be the catalyst to spring Liverpool into years of success under Klopp as he looks to begin a new era at Liverpool.
