Liverpool Should Embrace the Europa League, Not Resent It

Back in 2008, UEFA President Michel Platini announced the rebranding of the UEFA Cup as the Europa League with the following optimistic vision of the competition’s future, per BBC Sport:

"I am convinced the new format will give the UEFA Europa League a successful new impetus.These changes will improve this historic competition, which is very important for UEFA and for European football as it gives more fans, players and clubs the thrill of European club football."

Apparently English fans didn’t get the memo. The competition has remained an albatross for Premier League clubs. The occasional team, such as Fulham, has embraced a rare foray into competitive football on the continent, but for the most part, the Europa League remains the domain of clubs that feel they deserve to be playing in the considerably more illustrious Champions League.

Not only does the kudos and financial incentives of Europe’s second club competition pale in comparison, but its packed schedule means many see it as an inconvenient burden that is merely a hindrance in the pursuit of Champions League football via league position.

There’s no club where this is truer than Liverpool. The Anfield giants have won the European Cup (now the Champions League) five times, making them the third-most successful team in the competition’s history behind Real Madrid and Milan, tied with Bayern Munich.

This season saw them regain their position at Europe’s top table for the first time in five years. But what they’d hoped would be a long, fruitful rekindling of their love affair with the competition ended up being more of a sorry, rueful one-night stand—one solitary win against debutants Ludogorets Razgrad was all they had to show for their efforts.

Their consolation prize of a Europa League knockout-round berth was equally disappointing, ending with a loss to Besiktas on penalties.

Liverpool fans may view the Europa League as little more than a series of taxing traipses to far flung corners of the continent for their team, but rather than seeing the competition as a hindrance, they should embrace its potential to help the team’s long-term fortunes. While it may not carry the clout of the Champions League, success in the Europa League could be of huge psychological benefit.

The club has yet to win a trophy under Brendan Rodgers, and Aston Villa’s defeat of the Reds in the FA Cup meant the Northern Irishman has become the first Liverpool boss since the 1950s to fail to win a trophy in his first three years at the club, per The Telegraph.

This lack of silverware has increased the pressure on both Rodgers and the team, and the doubt it casts over the manager’s methods and his future will no doubt be taking its toll.

With the Reds unlikely to mount a serious challenge for the Premier League next season as they grapple with how best to compensate for Daniel Sturridge’s injuries and look for a replacement for the talismanic Steven Gerrard, they will need to look to the cups to provide a trophy. Arsenal’s resurgence this season has been demonstrative of how a trophy win can revitalise a team’s fortunes.

The Premier League’s apathy toward the Europa League isn’t a universal attitude either—many other major leagues and clubs hold it in higher regard. A Liverpool victory in the competition—or just a palpable demonstration of how seriously the club takes it—would make them much more attractive to potential signings.

Not only that, but with the Europa League champion winning a place in the Champions League and the Premier League more competitive than ever, the competition could be Liverpool’s best hope of qualifying next season.

Whether they want to be or not, Liverpool will likely be playing in the Europa League next season. Shunning the competition rather than embracing it would simply be a missed opportunity.