Liverpool’s win over Newcastle last night puts them to within four points of Manchester City, so the race for fourth place is not over yet. Especially given City’s recent form.
Liverpool’s recent form, however, has been sensational apart from the two crucial blips against Manchester United and Arsenal, but must keep that going. Not just because of the lure of a Champions League spot, though.
History tells us that a team’s form towards the end of the season can impact how they start the next one. Hull’s poor end to last season saw them stagnate at the start of this season, pulling them into the relegation battle. Liverpool’s blistering form last season, though, was halted by the sale of Luis Suarez in the summer. But they won’t lose a player who will leave such a huge gap in their squad this time around.
So Liverpool need to keep motoring until the end of the season. The Champions League spot can be used as incentive, but the FA Cup might even be more important to this group of players. A first trophy is always a milestone and the floodgates can open thereafter.
So the best possible end to the next month and a half for Liverpool is winning the FA Cup and finishing in fourth, of course. But a good end to the season is finishing fifth and winning the FA Cup. A cup win is still a big thing – definitely not to be sniffed at.
Momentum for next season is important, but winning, we are told, is a habit. Winning a trophy can breed more trophies in the future. And with a young squad who haven’t won many trophies themselves, giving them the experience of lifting the trophy and of winning something is vital.
[ffc-gal cat=”liverpool” no=”5″]
And so this is why Liverpool need to prioritise the FA Cup over fourth place. Obviously both are important, and the Champions League brings in lots of money. But with the Premier League as tight as it is this season, and the likelihood that both Everton and Tottenham can come back stronger to fight for Champions League football next season too, Liverpool – or at least some big club – may have to settle for the Europa League sometimes over the next few years.
But in order to stop that from happening, and consistently qualify for the Champions League, the club needs to have a winning mentality. They won’t attain that from simply finishing fourth this year.
Last season, Liverpool’s capitulation showed how hard it is to win a title. When City won their first Premier League in 2012, the pundits all said that the first one is the hardest.
It’s about having the experience to win a title, and that’s what City had last year. They knew how to be patient how to bide their time. And they knew which matches were ripe for the taking. Importantly, though, they also knew which games would force them to sit back a little more and wait for an opening. At 3-0 up against Palace last May, Liverpool were crying out for this kind of experience.
So this time around, even though they’re now chasing City and trying to enact revenge for last season, Liverpool need to be careful that they don’t go too hard for this prize and forget about a very winnable cup.
Liverpool are still a team on the up, despite what Raheem Sterling’s comments appear to suggest. Liverpool are still a team that have huge potential. They have the potential to win the things that Sterling wants to win – and in order to convince him of that, this year’s FA Cup might be needed.
But in order to reach that potential, Liverpool first need to garner a winning mentality. And the way to do that is by winning a cup, not by ‘winning the race for fourth’. Fourth place isn’t even close to winning. You never get a medal for fourth.
You might get a huge financial windfall and the ability to attract top players to the club instead. But surely Liverpool would forego this for one season in order to win a trophy and foster a winning attitude amongst the players. In the short term prioritising the league seems to make a lot of sense, but in the long term a cup win could be crucial.
This season is all about development, and next season will be too. And winning things like the FA Cup will be crucial to that development.
[ad_pod id=’ffc-video’ align=’center’]
[ad_pod id=’ricco’ align=’center’]
