When Liverpool fans saw their Champions League group initially, they would have expected to avoid Europa League football in the Spring.
But that is exactly what they will have to schedule for after elimination at the hands of FC Basel tonight.
On the flip side, it probably means more time for manager Brendan Rodgers to try and revive the club's faltering league form.
But as football writer Gabriele Marcotti told Off The Ball tonight, that is not what Rodgers was appointed to do.
"There's no question that they would have been better off getting through. Success breeds success and confidence. They're going to concentrate on the league form the way Rodgers has been doing in the last couple of games by putting out ultra-defensive formations, basically playing in an unRodgers-like way. It will be interesting to see how he reacts. He wasn't hired to be this kind of manager. He was hired to be Brendan Rodgers," said Marcotti.
Listen to the full interview via the podcast:
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