In early April, Liverpool fans were gearing up for the club’s upcoming matches against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals. The first game saw Liverpool control the ball, but fail to capitalize offensively.
Looking ahead, fans hoped Klopp would find a solution up top. Coming off last year’s Premier League title grab, the Reds were in a prime position to push to the semifinals. Though they improved offensively in the April 14 rematch with more shots, possession, passes, and corners than their opponent, the 0-0 tie saw Real Madrid advance.
It left Liverpool to return to the Premier League to focus on moving up in the standings for a position in next year’s Europa League competition. Though Champions League finals draw in hundreds of millions of viewers (380 million back in 2015, according to Infogram), domestic leagues are more closely followed game to game.
Typically, major league sports covered by betting experts have championship series, like the NBA and NHL in North America. However, most domestic association football leagues crown champions via points systems, which means the Champions League garners extra attention for its high-stakes elimination battles.
But the conversation changed quickly after Liverpool’s mid-April exit from the Champions League. Only a few days later, the European Super League was announced. Those wondering what was next for Klopp’s Liverpool suddenly had their answer.
A Season in Summary
Despite the touch-and-go issues of the 2019-20 Premier League season, the Reds managed to take their first Premier League Champion title since the league’s formation in 1992. Coming into the 2020-21 season, their loss to Arsenal on penalties for the FA Community Shield, followed by an unimpressive run in the EFL Cup highlighted issues up top.
However, the Reds once again looked comfortable in the Premier League. From late November until a late January loss to Burnley, Liverpool posted the second-longest unbeaten home run in European football. Though the seats were empty, Anfield continued to serve as the team’s twelfth man.
Following a difficult February (which ended with a 1-4 record) and two early losses to Chelsea and Fulham in the Premier League, Liverpool appeared to be scrambling just in time for their quarterfinals appearance against Real Madrid. Many pointed to the absence of Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk, as well as the lackluster performances of Thiago Alcantara.
But their knockout left fans and pundits with many questions. First, what had happened to Klopp’s champion lineup from the 2019-20 season? And second, how did he plan on addressing these discrepancies through recruitment—or is an overhaul not the solution?
As Klopp faced a trial by social media, another major announcement derailed the fuss around Liverpool’s Champions League elimination: the European Super League.
Is the Super League Next?
Liverpool is listed alongside eleven other clubs who will participate in the mid-week European Super League competition in addition to the Premier League—allegedly. The other clubs include Chelsea, Arsenal, Man City, Man United, Tottenham, Real Madrid, Juventus, AC Milan, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid.
The announcement came on Sunday, April 16, and saw negative reactions from nearly every active member of the football community—Liverpool included. Only two days later, Liverpool midfielder James Milner became one of the first players to speak out about the ESL. Milner made his point clear in a BBC Sport interview, saying, “I don’t like it one bit.
The ESL’s mission is to elevate the most competitive teams in European club football, with officials like Real Madrid’s manager coming forward to say that the future of football is at risk due to sub-par competitions. In other words, when the quality of play isn’t high, fans don’t tune in and fill stadiums.
However, UEFA and the Premier League have already condemned the new league. FIFA has already announced severe consequences for players and teams who opt into the ESL, including being barred from World Cup competitions. Members of the government have even gotten involved, with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowing to do his best to bar the move.
