Liverpool have not played in the UEFA Europa League since the 2015/16 season when they made the final in Jürgen Klopp's first season at the club.
It was a heartbreaking season for Liverpool as they lost 3-1 to Sevilla in the final and also lost in the League Cup final to Manchester City on penalties, following a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes.
After a season without European football in the 2016/17 season, Liverpool have played Champions League football for the last six years.
This season (2022/23) however, could spell the end of that run for Liverpool as they currently sit seventh in the table.
If the season were to end at this moment in time, Liverpool would qualify for the Europa Conference League with Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa qualifying for the Europa League.
Liverpool, however, have two games in hand and would overtake both clubs previously mentioned if they were to win both.
Today, we will look at why it would be a bad thing for Liverpool to qualify for the Europa League.
Struggle to attract top talent
All the best players in the world want to play Champions League football.
It's one of the biggest bargaining chips a club can have when attempting to convince a player to make the move to their club.
While some clubs have proved that you can still attract world-class talent without Champions League football (Manchester United signing Angel Di Maria in 2014), some clubs sadly don't.
Liverpool is certainly a big club but their inability to pay massive wages coupled with the potential lack of Champions League could prove devastating in their chase for players during the summer transfer window.
While someone like Jude Bellingham may want to come to Liverpool, he's more likely to play Champions League football next season with Borussia Dortmund.
Copious amounts of travel
The Europa League is a grind, pure and simple.
Thursday night football and having to travel to the likes of Serbia, Cyprus, and Slovenia will take its toll on players.
With Liverpool expected to challenge for a top-four spot next season (2023/2024) and potentially the title, having to juggle that with a Europa League campaign will prove a tough task for Jürgen Klopp's men.
The injury issues Liverpool have suffered this season could be exacerbated next season with the increased travel the players will have to undertake which in turn will affect their league aspirations.
With seven games left in the Premier League season, where do you think Liverpool will finish?
