Liverpool’s modest Premier League title hopes are enhanced by the change in European coefficients.

The Premier League’s Champions League qualification race has been significantly impacted by Liverpool’s Europa League elimination.

Ever since Liverpool’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League were dashed the previous season, the fans have dreamed of an appearance in the Europa League final in Dublin.

The demand for an ultimate farewell party in the Emerald Isle increased even further after Jurgen Klopp stated in January that he would be leaving his position as Reds manager at the end of the season.

But such hopes were cruelly dashed as Liverpool unexpectedly lost to Atalanta in the Europa League quarterfinals. The tournament favourites all season long, a 3-0 first leg loss at Anfield sealed their fate and guaranteed they wouldn’t even be in the running for a spot in the championship.

It is a devastating setback for the Reds, of course. On the other hand, optimists will have managed to identify some little advantages.

After all, Liverpool’s elimination guarantees that none of the three can have an advantage over their rivals when it comes to navigating a shortened schedule during the final month of the campaign, especially after Premier League title rivals Man City and Arsenal also unexpectedly exited the Champions League at the quarterfinal stage earlier this week.

There are just six league games remaining for the Gunners and the Reds, who are now two points behind league leaders City, to concentrate on and properly prepare for. In the meanwhile, Pep Guardiola’s team will aim to defend the FA Cup before facing Chelsea in this weekend’s semi-final at Wembley.

It remains to be seen whether the potential confidence blow of early European elimination is outweighed by more time spent on the training pitch and fewer minutes in legs towards the end of the season. However, as a result, none of the three have received a revised “boost.”

Their departures, meanwhile, might still have a significant impact on the outcome of the Premier League title fight this year.

It is now highly unlikely that five Premier League teams will make it into the Champions League the following season, with Aston Villa being the only English team still playing in Europe.

With Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League semifinals and Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League semifinals, Germany is now best-positioned to secure the second spot. Italy secured the first additional berth on Thursday, in part because Atalanta eliminated Liverpool.

All three German teams would need to lose both of their respective semi-finals in order for England to defeat Germany and secure the fifth qualifying slot. Aston Villa would need to win both of their Europa Conference semi-final matches against Olympiakos and then the final.

As a result, the Premier League’s competition for Champions League qualification is poised to heat up, with fourth place most likely holding the final qualifying position.

Right now, Aston Villa is in third place, three points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, and eight points behind third-place Liverpool. They have, nevertheless, participated in more games than any of the other seven Premier League teams.

Even though Unai Emery’s team presently leads Spurs in goal differential (+19 to +16), a victory in that fantastic game on Thursday, May 2, against Chelsea, won’t definitely be enough to move up over the Villans.

There will be many more surprises in store for Spurs during the last month of the season, as they will also play their second game this weekend thanks to Ange Postecoglou’s team missing out on playing FA Cup semifinalists Man City.

However, it does mean that Villa and Spurs will need to work even harder to make it into the Champions League next season; finishing in fifth place is probably no longer sufficient.

Given that they still have games against the top three teams in the league, Tottenham was already expected to be a major player in the fight for the championship.

On Sunday, April 28, they will play host to Arsenal in the North London derby. On Sunday, May 5, they will travel to Anfield. On Tuesday, May 14, they play their penultimate match of the season at home against Man City.

With their own Champions League aspirations much more on the line, they may need the points in order to defeat Aston Villa and therefore reconfigure the top three. Additionally, if Liverpool is to have any chance of winning the season, they must host both Man City and Arsenal. This quietly gives them optimism.

On Monday, May 13, at Villa Park, Villa still has to host the Reds. This matchup comes four days after Villa’s away second leg of the Europa Conference League semifinal against Olympiakos.

Emery’s team can find itself in the driver’s seat following their continental exploits, riding high after making it to the European final, or crushed after losing in the semifinals. However, the reality that Villa is presently on track for an unexpected top four finish complicates matters, even if you would generally expect them to prioritise the potential to win silverware above the league.

It has been a terrible week for Premier League teams in Europe, save from Villa. However, as Liverpool tries to get back on track following their shocking Europa League quarterfinal loss, Klopp’s determination to see his team finish as two-time Premier League champions may actually be a plus for the Reds as the race for Champions League qualification heats up.