Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Mark Lawrenson: Liverpool FC Must Prioritise Champions League Qualification

The full calamity of Liverpool’s early Champions League exit will really hit home this week when they make their first foray into the Europa League.

If there’s one consolation I suppose it represents a realistic chance to win a trophy this season.

But then again, those thoughts need to be put aside this week.

Because the game at Manchester City on Sunday could go a long way towards determining if Liverpool will be back in Europe’s number one club competition next year – and that has to take priority.

Winning trophies is traditionally the very reason why Liverpool Football Club exists. But you have to break with tradition once in a while.

Getting that top-four spot, and maintaining the revenue stream that comes with it, is vital.

Far more vital than winning the Europa League – a nice piece of silverware it may be but it won’t attract the type of players Rafael Benitez wants.

In fact, if there’s one thing that everyone at the club – from the Americans to the manager to Christian Purslow – is agreed on it’s that winning a cup this year won’t mean a jot if Liverpool are missing from the Champions League next season.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying they should give up on the Europa League. In fact, I wouldn’t completely rule out them winning that AND finishing fourth. It’s just that each stage of it has to be taken on its merits.

Players have to be preserved for the trip to Eastlands to give Benitez the best opportunity he can to keep Manchester City at bay with a good result so Sunday.

He won’t get that by picking his strongest possible line-up to face Unirea Urziceni on Thursday and telling them to give it everything they’ve got.

I think a bit of tinkering might be in order and, in this case, nobody would argue.

The beauty of European knockout football is, of course, that you get two bites of the cherry and if a weakened line-up doesn’t get an ideal result in the first leg, there’s always a chance to make amends in Romania.

And if Liverpool do make progress and start to flourish in the league then they might get the opportunity to give the Europa League more attention later on.

After all, the further you go and closer to the final you get, the mindset can really start to focus on the silverware.

With Fernando Torres hopefully back in the groove towards the end of the season, it will only enhance the possibility of Benitez being able to commit himself on two fronts.

But in the last 32 of the Europa League, thoughts of going for glory in Hamburg are still too far away

But Manchester City away is too close for comfort – and has to be the most pressing concern.

No comments: