Jurgen Klopp’s first season at Liverpool wasn’t defined by the 8th place finish in the Premier League. It didn’t even matter that they lost on penalties to Manchester City in the League Cup final. What that season is remembered for, is the emotional run to the Europa League final.
That run, and those European nights under the lights at Anfield, brought out the best in Klopp. The Liverpool faithful fell in love with his personality in press conferences and on the touchline, while his side produced some unforgettable moments that pulled on the heartstrings of the yearning Anfield faithful.
Now that Liverpool are yet again about to embark on another Europa adventure - albeit one the players are disappointed by. Mo Salah couldn’t hide his frustration after Man Utd sealed their place in the top four, confirming Liverpool’s 5th place finish before the final day.
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“I’m totally devastated,” Salah tweeted. “There’s absolutely no excuse for this. We had everything we needed to make it to next year’s Champions League and we failed. We are Liverpool and qualifying to the competition is the bare minimum. I am sorry but it’s too soon for an uplifting or optimistic post. We let you and ourselves down.”
But this could pave the way for a much-needed summer reset, with the Reds needing to bring in at least two central midfielders in order to compete in the Premier League again. Perhaps they’ve become spoiled by Klopp’s football and Champions League success, so this may also ground Liverpool fans, and remind them of that journey to the final back in 15/16.
It was special. The group stage was nothing to write home about, but the round of 16 clash against Manchester United was Klopp’s first chance to make a big impression on the Merseyside faithful. A 2-0 win at Anfield in the first leg with goals from Daniel Sturridge and Roberto Firmino was enough to give them the upper hand, before Coutinho scored at Old Trafford to dump their fiercest rivals out of the competition.
Then the quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund, and the first time Anfield had truly sizzled on a European night for many a year. Dortmund went 2-0 up at Anfield and then 3-1 up, before Klopp’s Liverpool went on the rampage to complete a famous comeback, eventually winning 4-3 on the night. Dejan Lovren’s late header sent the Kop wild and the connection between the fans, the players and the new manager grew ever stronger.
Villarreal may have won the first leg in Spain but another Liverpool second leg masterclass took them into the final where they came up short against - you guessed it - Sevilla. But the failure to lift the trophy didn’t dampen what had been a phenomenal run, and ignited the passion of the Anfield crowd once again.
It was the first step on a remarkable road for Liverpool fans under Klopp. Since then, they’ve gone toe-to-toe with Man City, won one Premier League title and lifted their sixth European Cup. But now, that mini-cycle of success has ended, and they will play in the Europa League again. But despite Salah’s disappointment, Klopp has taken it in exactly the right manner.
"We will make it [the Europa League] our competition," he told BBC Sport. "I am not that spoilt. That we are already qualified for the Europa League is incredible with all these teams around us. That's really difficult and we did it, that is good.
"For so long we couldn't even hear the sound of the Champions League, that's how far away we were. The Europe League is absolutely fine. Let's see what we can do."
Just as they did in his first season - it’s time for Liverpool to embrace the Europa League. And you know what, ‘THURSDAY NIGHTS ARE EUROPA NIGHTS’.
See, it’s not all bad.
