Liverpool is a historic club with incredible presence. Jurgen Klopp is a celebrated manager with a strong reputation as a players’ coach.
Those two facets will always make the club attractive to players. Missing out on the UEFA Champions League is another thing altogether and would put a huge dent in Klopp’s ambitious recruitment goals.
And right now, the Reds look destined to drop out of the Top Four.
[ JPW: Oriol Romeu -- The Perfectly Poised Destroyer ]
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Home | Away | PTS |
| Chelsea | 32 | 24 | 3 | 5 | 65 | 27 | 38 | 13-0-2 | 11-3-3 | 75 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 32 | 21 | 8 | 3 | 68 | 22 | 46 | 15-2-0 | 6-6-3 | 71 |
| Liverpool | 34 | 19 | 9 | 6 | 70 | 42 | 28 | 11-4-2 | 8-5-4 | 66 |
| Manchester City | 32 | 19 | 7 | 6 | 63 | 35 | 28 | 8-6-1 | 11-1-5 | 64 |
| Manchester United | 32 | 17 | 12 | 3 | 50 | 24 | 26 | 7-9-1 | 10-3-2 | 63 |
| Everton | 34 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 60 | 37 | 23 | 12-4-1 | 4-6-7 | 58 |
| Arsenal | 31 | 17 | 6 | 8 | 63 | 40 | 23 | 10-3-2 | 7-3-6 | 57 |
Even if Manchester United and Manchester City draw Thursday’s derby, both will be poised to pass the Reds by winning the match-in-hand.
Injury-ravaged United is bothered by UEFA Europa League duty against Celta Vigo, and has a brutal run-in that includes Spurs and Arsenal in addition to City. Liverpool has to hope United falls off, because Man City is likely going to walk over the Top Four line even with a draw in the derby.
The worst case scenario for Liverpool, aside from continuing to flail against clubs outside the Top Seven, is United toppling City on Thursday.
As an aside, it’s extremely unlikely that Arsenal leaps into the fray but if the Gunners did it would come at the expense of United.
Really, Liverpool’s run-in is perfectly built for two of its supporters’ favorite things: Winning matches and rooting against Manchester United. Here’s how they finish:
May 1 -- at Watford
May 7 -- vs. Southampton
May 14 -- at West Ham United
May 21 -- vs. Middlesbrough
Liverpool battered Watford 6-1 at Anfield and Boro 3-0 at the Riverside Stadium, but drew both Saints and West Ham earlier this season in addition to losing to Southampton in an EFL Cup semifinal.
Say the Reds nab a perfect 12 points to finish with 78; They’ll need City to take less than 14 from six remaining matches and United to earn less than 15 from six. The latter is far more likely than the former, but will matter very little if Klopp can’t motivate and organize his men in the final four matches.
