Blog: Europa League a big opportunity

Liverpool endured a difficult afternoon on Saturday as they suffered a 3-1 away defeat to rivals Manchester United, our second league defeat in a row.

There was one positive to come out of the result, however - Benteke's unbelievable overhead kick made it two goals in five games for the Belgium striker and it is evident that his contribution this season will be invaluable. We were also without Philippe Coutinho who, had he played, would have given us that extra dimension of creativity we needed.

After two straight defeats, some may argue that the club is entering a difficult period, but if we put our current league record into perspective, then it's clear that coming to that conclusion would be jumping the gun. We have played five games so far, winning two of them and drawing one. While the last two games have not been our best, we still find ourselves in a better position than this time last season, when we had lost one game more.

Team development is a work in progress, something that takes more than a few games to really get going and after a summer in which we brought in nine new players, it takes time for the new additions to gel with the old ones. To expect an immediate integration into the squad for the new players is unrealistic.

Thursday's Europa League opening game against Bordeaux will serve as a welcome break from domestic duties.

The Europa League is a great opportunity for Brendan Rodgers and the team, despite a gruelling schedule and the helter skelter effect it can have on Premier League sides. We have seen from the likes of Everton and Tottenham last season that the European competition can be physically and mentally draining, often having an adverse effect on domestic results.

But Rodgers is now in a position with better strength in depth and he is likely to utilise this in Europe. Especially since the winners of the competition then qualify for the Champions League next season - an alternative method of reaching the promised land. But in a difficult group consisting of Bordeaux, FC Sion and Rubin Kazan, we will have to be on our A-game every week.

Victories are always a great way to boost morale and a win, as well as a good performance against Bordeaux, could see a translation of good fortune into the Premier League.

The Europa League can also see Rodgers experiment with the squad a lot more, both tactically and in terms of personnel. With a 4-2-3-1 formation so far having varying results; perhaps testing the waters with two forwards alongside each other or the three-man defence that worked well last year.

Rodgers could also give more starting opportunities to the likes of Jordon Ibe, Divock Origi and Danny Ings, three young and hungry players who would relish the chance to make the starting XI. 

Ibe in particular has shown in his cameo appearances this season that he can be an alternative source of creativity in Coutinho's absence, while Origi deserves an opportunity to display his abilities. Ings is also a very interesting case, and it would be intriguing to be able to see what kind of contribution he can make to the team given another start. Thursday represents a great chance for this to happen.

Liverpool will be looking to beat Bordeaux on Thursday to avoid the kind of early season slump that can derail squad ambitions so early into the campaign. The team will have forgotten about the past two results and be looking to get back to winning ways, and so will Rodgers. 

While we have no real reason to panic at this stage of the season, it would be a great sign of the team's resilience to grab three points in Europe and then we can forget the past two weeks and carry the momentum into the coming weeks.

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