Barclay’s Premier League: Liverpool 2009-10
Liverpool, once a part of England‘s so called Big Four stumbled through an embarrassing campaign in the Barclay’s Premier League this season. The Reds are one of the most prestigious clubs in English football and for much of this decade have dominated the Barclay’s Premier League alongside Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United. With many other clubs gaining solid financial footing to challenge the Big Four, many believed Liverpool would be the club to fall.
The doubters were proven correct almost from the start as Liverpool stumbled from the start, opening the season with two wins and two defeats. Liverpool’s struggles were not limited to the Premier League however as they faltered in the UEFA Champions League group stages and the Carling Cup early on. Arsenal eliminated Liverpool in the fourth round of the Carling Cup, and a three match winless streak in the Champions League that featured two defeats and a draw ensured their elimination from Europe’s most prestigious club competition. Liverpool’s season bottomed out in January when they were eliminated from the FA Cup in the third round by Football League Championship side Reading.
The Reds appeared as though they might salvage their season late on however as they thrived in the second tier UEFA Europa League and made a push to retain their spot in the top four of the Premier League. In the end however, the Reds were eliminated by Spanish side Atletico Madrid in the semifinals of the Europa League and suffered a worse fate in the Premier League. Liverpool simply couldn’t maintain the consistency of form that Manchester City and Tottenham had down the stretch. The Reds ended their season meagerly with a 2-0 home defeat to Chelsea and a 0-0 draw away to Hull City, leaving Tottenham to take their place in the top four.
Liverpool finished seventh place in the Premier League standings, 23 points off the pace set by Chelsea and seven points behind fourth place Tottenham. The Reds, by virtue of Portsmouth ineligibility, will appear next season in the UEFA Europa League, a far cry from their annual appearances in the Champions League.
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