You know what? What's the best way to get beat? It isn't by a team that was worse than you, who you knew you could have and should have beaten, but didn't. It's those group of guys who were simply better than you and totally outplayed you.
That's what happend to Liverpool in Basel last night. They simply got taken out to lunch by Sevilla, and were left with the bill. There's nothing at all to be ashamed of. Sevilla were the better team, and proved over the course of the match that they deserved to win. It would have actually been unfair if Liverpool stole that match from them.
I get it, it hurts. Losing a final will always be painful. Better team or not, it's about winning. And how many times has a team been outplayed but still won a final? Liverpool would have been very happy to have been that team if it meant winning a trophy and going straight into the Champions League. But they should lick their wounds and look at the bigger picture.
This was not a full season for their new manager who did an amazing job by taking them to two finals. One was lost on the lottery of penalties and the other by a better team who have had the same manager for a few years now. Sevilla are a settled team with an ethos of football they have had for several years. Klopp hasn't even had a full season or even a summer to bring in the cats into his team.
Liverpool getting to the Europa League final is a victory in itself. They overachieved. They weren't supposed to beat Dortmund, and against a very good Villareal team, they also were the surprise winners. So when you take it all into context, it was a good season for Liverpool. Yeah, the league position sucks but again, this is a manager that hasn't had a full season. So some leeway should be given.
If Liverpool had gotten into the Champions League by winning the trophy, would that have been ideal? Do they have the funds to bring in players good enough to compete in that competition? I'm not sure that they do. I think the best thing for them is to have a clear season without any European football and solely focus on getting into a top four that will be very difficult next year.
We're talking about a rejuvenated Chelsea with Conte, Pep coming into City, Mourinho possibly being the United manager and Arsenal having never fallen out of the top four under Wenger and Tottenham now showing they are another name that must be put into the mix. Liverpool will have their hands full and not having any distractions is the best that could happen to them. HH
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