Europa League Draw

[Insidious]

I know what you mean. That Sevilla final was devastating. We should have been home and dry at half time.

Whilst it stung massively at the time, I think in the long-term it probably isn't the worst thing that we lost.

The following season we didn't have European football (as we had finished 8th in the League) and we ended up squeezing into the Top Four in the last game-week, where Wijnaldum scores (twice?) against Middlesbrough.

Squeaking through so narrowly into the Champion's League spots after a full season (rather than getting straight to the Champion's League via a Europa League win) probably helped to bring Home that the squad needed work. Whereas if we had won the Europa League (this qualifying for the Champion's League) we may have got a false impression of what the group of players Klopp inherited was collectively capable of.

I also think coming close (and failing) can fuel a serious fire in some players - and certainly when we lost that Champion's League Final to Real Madrid we dusted ourselves down and went again to great effect in the following season.

If a Multi-verse exist a la comic books then it would be interesting to see how much better or worse we would have become had we beaten Sevilla, but I genuinely believe that some of the setbacks made the eventual victories all the sweeter. If we do indeed get to win the League this season and get to celebrate with fans (having initially waited 30 years for our players to raise a trophy to an empty stadium) then it will be one Hell of a tonic for the weight of the years of disappointment and false Dawns in the post-Kenny, pre-Jürgen years.

One trophy won this season and still alive in 3 more - let's see what we can do.

[teesred]

Totally agree Sid. Short term pain for long term gain. It was awful at the time,felt like such a a gut punch after a brilliant campaign.
Similar in a way to the first final against Real. If we had won we'd have likely kept faith with Karius and may not have got Ali.

[JockStrap]

Well you worry about the likes of brentford and Luton so i'm not surprised.

Cheer up stevo, be positive..... we're not playing real madrid, we just battered one of the best sides in the world if diaz could finish we'd have won easily....... oh no not atlanta god help us... ffs

Victor cannae hulp it. He's just a doom monger.