Opta delivers huge Liverpool top-five verdict despite awful week for English clubs
Liverpool’s hopes of reaching the Champions League through a top-five Premier League finish remain firmly alive, despite what Opta Analyst described as a miserable week for English clubs in Europe.
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That will come as a major relief to us, because after the 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray and with the Premier League table so congested, there has been understandable concern over whether fifth place would still be enough.
According to Opta Analyst, the answer is still overwhelmingly yes.
Opta explained: “The Premier League’s chances of getting an extra Champions League place next season have hardly been affected at all by the poor results of English clubs this week.”
That is the key point for Liverpool supporters.
Even with English sides enduring what the data company called a “broadly dismal week”, the bigger picture has barely shifted because Premier League teams had already done so much strong work earlier in the campaign.
Opta still backs the Premier League to get five UCL places
The most important line in the whole update was the one that directly addresses Liverpool’s situation in the league table.
Opta wrote: “In the supercomputer’s 10,000 season simulations, England finished in the top two for average points more than 99.9% of the time.”
That is as close to a green light as we could realistically ask for.
So while Liverpool still have work to do in the league, the wider European picture remains heavily in our favour.
That matters because BBC Sport recently pointed out that just three points separate Manchester United, Aston Villa, Chelsea and Liverpool in the battle for the top five, with us currently sitting sixth.
Liverpool still have to do their part
Of course, none of this matters if we do not improve our own performances.
Stephen Warnock’s warning about a mentality problem after the Galatasaray defeat underlines the bigger issue, because the opportunity is there but only if Arne Slot’s side can take it.
Liverpool do not need to panic about fifth place suddenly losing its value.
What we do need to worry about is making sure we actually get there.
The Opta update should calm nerves on one front, but it also sharpens the focus on what comes next.
If we can put together a strong finish in the league, fifth should still be enough to take us back into the Champions League next season.
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