Ever since Liverpool saw their hopes of Champions League qualification ended last season, supporters instead dreamt of a Europa League final appearance in Dublin.
When Jurgen Klopp announced his decision to step down as Reds manager at the end of the campaign back in January, the desire for a farewell party to end all parties in the Emerald Isle grew even more.
However, such fantasies were brutally ended prematurely after Liverpool suffered a shock Europa League quarter-final exit to Atalanta. The season-long favourites to win the tournament, a 3-0 first leg loss at Anfield ultimately sealed their fate and ensured they wouldn’t even compete for a place in the final.
Inevitably, it is a disappointing blow for the Reds. However, those with their glasses half-full will have been able to find small positives.
After all, having seen Premier League title-rivals Man City and Arsenal also both surprisingly exit the Champions League at the quarter-final stage earlier this week, Liverpool’s elimination ensures none of the trio can enjoy any advantage over their foes when it comes to navigating a reduced schedule during the final month of the campaign.
Both the Gunners and the Reds, who currently sit two points behind league-leaders City, have just six league matches left that they can focus on and prepare for fully. Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola’s men will also be looking to defend the FA Cup ahead of taking on Chelsea at Wembley in this weekend’s semi-final.
Whether extra time on the training pitch and less minutes in legs at the business end of the campaign outweighs the potential confidence dent of early European elimination remains to be seen. But none of the trio have been handed a reframed ‘boost’ as a result.
However, their exits could still have a decisive knock-on effect when it comes to deciding this year’s Premier League title-race.
With Aston Villa now the last English side standing in Europe this season, the Premier League’s chances of having five teams qualify for next season’s Champions League are as good as over.
Italy clinched the first additional berth on Thursday, partly thanks to Atalanta knocking out Liverpool, with Germany now best-placed to clinch the second spot courtesy of having Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League semi-finals, and Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League semi-finals.
For England to topple Germany and clinch that fifth qualifying spot, Aston Villa would need to win both legs of their Europa Conference semi-final against Olympiakos and then the final, while all three German sides would need to lose both legs of their respective semi-finals.
Consequently, the race for Champions League qualification is about to heat up in the Premier League, with fourth spot highly-likely to be the last qualifying berth.
Aston Villa currently occupy the spot, sitting eight points behind third-placed Liverpool and three points ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur. However, they have played a game more than all the other teams in the Premier League’s top seven.
With Spurs also about to be pick up a second game-in-hand this weekend, courtesy of Ange Postecoglou’s side not being in action as they were meant to face FA Cup semi finalists Man City, there are plenty more twists and turns to come during the final month of the campaign.
But what it does mean is that both Villa and Spurs will have to fight that little bit harder to qualify for next season’s Champions League, with fifth spot no longer likely to be enough.
Tottenham were already likely to play a decisive role in the Premier League title-race, given they are still to face the Premier League’s top three.
They will host Arsenal in the North London derby on Sunday 28 April, before travelling to Anfield on Sunday 5 May. Meanwhile, they host Man City in their penultimate game of the season on Tuesday 14 May.
Likely to need the points if they are to topple Aston Villa, they could potentially reshape the top three as a result with their own Champions League hopes even more at stake. And with them hosting both Arsenal and Man City, it could quietly give Liverpool hope if they are to stand any chance of finishing the season as champions.
