Under-pressure Liverpool manager Arne Slot has insisted that the club will be a significantly stronger force next season, following a damaging 4-2 defeat at Aston Villa that left their Champions League qualification hopes hanging in the balance.
The Reds could have secured their place in Europe's premier competition with a victory at Villa Park, but instead it was Unai Emery's side that triumphed, sealing a top-five finish and providing a perfect send-off ahead of Wednesday's Europa League final.
Ollie Watkins scored twice, with Morgan Rogers and John McGinn also finding the net in a classy display that guaranteed Villa's return to the Champions League for a second time in three years. Liverpool, meanwhile, were left to rue another directionless performance, their 12th league defeat of a disappointing campaign.
Virgil van Dijk scored both of Liverpool's goals, but the result leaves Slot's side needing results to go their way elsewhere, or a final-day victory over Brentford, to secure a top-four spot.
Slot acknowledged that supporters may struggle to find optimism after such a setback, but he is confident that a summer transfer window and a fresh start will transform the team's fortunes.
"I can understand at this moment of time that they don't have a lot of confidence or a lot of feeling that things can be much better next season," Slot said. "But I think then they are underestimating what a window can do, what a new start can do, and I think we know quite well what to improve."
The Dutchman hinted at underlying issues, pointing to the absence of nine first-team players through injury. "If you miss nine players that can start a game of football, and almost all of them are starters for us or have been for a large part of the season, then if you add that to what you can improve in a window and add that to players that are playing for the second season in the Premier League, that will automatically lead to much more," he explained.
Slot described the defeat as "damaging" but remains focused on the final match of the season. "Damaging because we needed either a win or maybe two draws would have been enough as well, but now we know one thing for sure, that we need a win next week if we have to do it ourselves," he added.
In contrast, Villa's victory was a landmark moment. Emery's side can now head to Istanbul for their Europa League final against Freiburg with their domestic objective already achieved, allowing them to focus entirely on winning a first continental trophy in 44 years.
"Absolutely brilliant," Emery said. "I was here the first day speaking about our objective three and a half years ago, and how we are doing this achievement. Today is a summary for the season. Fantastic, and to do it against Liverpool. This team, this atmosphere. I am so happy, so, so proud of everybody. Now we can play the final, only thinking about a trophy, not thinking about the Champions League."
