Liverpool face Sevilla in the Europa League final, and Steven
Gerrard says triumph in Basle could prove the beginning of a glorious
era under Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool face Sevilla in Wednesday's Europa League final, and former captain Steven Gerrard says triumph in Basle could prove the beginning of a glorious era under Jurgen Klopp.
In
his 17 years at Anfield, Gerrard won three European crowns - the UEFA
Cup and Super Cup in 2001, as well as the Champions League on that
memorable night in Istanbul in 2005.
With
Gerrard now departed and Klopp replacing Brendan Rodgers at the helm,
2015-16 has seen the beginnings of a new age at Anfield, the German
already enjoying success since taking over in October.
A
run to the League Cup final ended in penalty-shootout defeat to
Manchester City, but Liverpool have a second chance for silverware - and
a place in next season's Champions League - when they face double
defending champions Sevilla at St Jakob-Park.
And Gerrard believes victory could provide a springboard for the club to possibly challenge for Premier League glory in 2016-17.
"Winning
the final against Sevilla will mean a European trophy, a place in
history for all those players and the sense they are at the beginning of
a new era under one of the greatest coaches of his generation," Gerrard wrote in his column for The Telegraph.
"All
the talk in August would be about what was next for Jurgen Klopp's side
- a possible title challenge. With the calibre of player they could
attract, and Champions League qualification, there would be confidence
Liverpool could challenge.
"Then
there is the darker road, the one none of us who love Liverpool want to
contemplate. It's the second final defeat in a matter of months,
disrupting the feel-good-factor achieved in securing that flight to
Switzerland, undermining the meaning of those notable wins over
Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund and Villarreal.
"Not
just another year without a trophy, but no European competitions at all
next season. That would have an impact on the quality of players Klopp
could attract, the financial rewards for the club and the morale of the
squad.
"In both
2001 and 2005, I came off the pitch saying they would be the catalysts
for a new era of success. We were given the perfect platform to go on
and we never took it, especially after Istanbul."
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