• Europa League

Rodgers changes his stance on Europa League

Liverpool's Europa League exit could be a blessing as it frees them up from potential fixture congestion, according to manager Brendan Rodgers.

Rodgers' side went out of the competition at the round of 32 stage on penalties to Turkish side Besiktas on Thursday. They did not arrive home until 4.30am UK time on Friday, leaving them little time to prepare for Sunday's Premier League home match against title contenders Manchester City.

Having previously championed his aim to try and win the the competition, Rodgers took a different stance when asked if Europa League elimination might be a blessing in disguise.

He said: "Yeah. At the time, you don't like to say that, because we want to win. And Europe this season has been an experience for us, both in the Champions League and the Europa League.

"But we're at a different stage to a lot of other teams. A lot of our young players have gained invaluable experience in Europe this year, and they're going to be better for it.

"Going forward, we want to be in those competitions, and in the Champions League, consistently for the next few years. So this year, we've gained great experience from it.

"But there's no doubt that with that away, and after next week's game against Burnley, we'll go to nearly one game a week. Probably for the first time this season, that will give us the chance to prepare and be ready in every aspect.

"It's been a really good learning experience for us, and we want to finish off the season with those objectives, because of the three competitions we were in, those two were certainly the top two."

Liverpool's fixture list has been packed since the last international break in November, with the club playing an average of one match every three or four days since then.

In fact, Sunday's game against City will be their 27th fixture in 99 days, a run that started with a 3-1 league defeat at Crystal Palace on November 23.

That congestion is set to continue for another week, as Liverpool face a Premier League home match against Burnley on Wednesday before hosting Championship side Blackburn in an FA Cup quarter-final next Sunday.

But after that, Rodgers and his players will have a full eight-day break before travelling to Swansea for a league match - their longest gap between fixtures for almost five months. They went into the weekend's fixtures sitting two points outside a top-four spot - which would also bring a Champions League spot.

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