If you look at the squad, none of our players apart from Sterling or Coutinho would get anywhere near the first 11 of our main top 4/6 rivals. It's that simple. Last year, with Suarez as a talisman and Sturridge thriving on the space he created, we looked good - going forward at least. The other players stepped up. Asking the same players that just missed the title to give it all to get into the Europa isn't going to happen. If we'd won our first three games and Sturridge had remained fit, the mental scars and fragility might not have been exposed. It would have been different, perhaps.
We need a new manager to re-invigorate the players and but some new ones in January!!