Falling back on that most unreliable of sources, hearsay, it seems that many Liverpool fans are rather scathing in their assessment of the Europa League; it is seen as an inconveniently placed impediment to league progress, a roll-call of humiliation against unknown teams in the backwaters of Europe. There is some truth to this. Playing on a Thursday night is a highly irritating obstacle to building up a decent head of steam in the Premier League, particularly when the places visited are quite so far-flung. Even an organisation as uselessly incompetent as UEFA have outdone themselves on that front. The lack of protection for seeded clubs, the awkward shoe-horning in of Champions League sides half way through the competition and the alarmingly vast number of teams competing in the first place are all very good reasons to hate the ugly duckling of European football. In addition, there is always the stigma of being in the secondary competition – a constant reminder that, regardless of the good work done and progress being made since the nadir of Roy Hodgson's reign, Liverpool are nowhere near the swashbuckling force that put Real Madrid to the sword 4 long, long years ago. That said, even with these reasons, the Europa League can yet be an important competition for the Reds this season.
The first reason to be excited about the last 32 of the EL is the calibre of teams remaining in the competition. No, seriously. The aristocracy of European football is well represented, with clubs of the pedigree of Ajax, Bayer Leverkusen, Benfica, Napoli, Chelsea, Athletico Madrid, Lazio and Inter Milan all pushing for a shot at the trophy; not to mention Liverpool's own high-spending opponents, Zenit. All of those who look down their noses at the 'second-rate' competition should think twice about the kind of football they want to see. It is entirely feasible that Liverpool will not make higher than 6th this season in the league, and so this may well be one of the last chances (for a season at least) to enjoy the pulsating atmosphere of Anfield on a European night against one of the very top teams from across the continent. Secondly, Liverpool have a chance to become the most successful team of all time in this particular cup; currently tied with Juventus on 3 apiece, it would be a massive boost to such a young team to play their way into the history books. Following on from that is the fact that silverware of any kind would play an important part in helping to hold onto players such as Suarez who, irrespective of how happy they may be at the club, have a desire to win trophies above all else. This desire is also shared, crucially, by the owners; winning a European cup in his first season would be a fantastic way for Rodgers to justify their faith in him, and could – more importantly – keep the money taps open. The history that the club has in the tournament should not be underestimated either. Part of a Double in Shankly's penultimate season with the club, in 1976 it would prove to be the springboard for Paisley's period of European domination. More recently, the 2001 treble signalled the high point of Gerard Houllier's time on Merseyside, with the UEFA cup clinched in a thrilling 5-4 win against Alavés. If Rodgers' team can emulate these performances, it could provide an excellent platform for progress next season.
Finally, the Europa League, for all its failings, has been highly useful this year in blooding the up-and-coming talents of the future. The game experience afforded to them by the competition could well prove decisive as they move from prospects to squad back up, and possibly even the first team. Alongside the youngsters, the EL offers a chance for out of favour players to stake their claim for a return to front line action; the renaissance of Stewart Downing being a case in point. It is definitely true that there are problems with the format, with the reputation and with the vast distances involved, but the Europa League has been the scene of many fond memories for the club. It can be again.