Carra: Fourth spot not be-all & end-all

iverpool veteran Jamie Carragher claims failing to qualify for the Champions League is hardly the disaster it has been painted. The Anfield club are now starting to accept their hopes of playing in Europe's elite competition for a seventh successive year next season are over.The Reds lie sixth in the Premier League after a goalless draw against Fulham yesterday, six points behind Manchester City in that crucial fourth position having played a game more.The financial ramifications of missing out on the Champions League could be huge, but Carragher sees no reason why the Reds cannot bounce back stronger next year.The long-serving defender said: "It is nothing new if we don't get there. We haven't played in it before, people forget that."If we don't get there we will just come back next season."People are saying if we don't get there that will be us as if we will never get there again. That is nonsense."If we don't get there this year, I'm sure we can't be as bad next season as we have been this."The Champions League is a big thing, you want to be in it and the revenue it generates is a massive thing."But who knows what the future will bring? We are a massive club and we will get back in it next year, I am sure of it."With just four games remaining to overhaul City this term - or even Tottenham, who lie fifth with games in hand - Liverpool are now likely to focus their attention on winning the Europa League.The Reds began the season with loftier aims than the continent's second-tier event but, after failing to get past the Champions League group stages, it could now provide considerable consolation.They take on Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals, the first leg being played in the Spanish capital a week on Thursday.Carragher, 32, added: "It hasn't been up to what we expected at the start of the season, we wanted to challenge for the Champions League rather than the Europa League."But for me winning trophies is what the game is about."You could say last season was great with our first chance to win the league for a while, but in 10 years' time who will remember that?"In 10 years' time we could look back and say we won the Europa League."So, the Europa League has always been very big for me, as soon as went in it."We are in the semi-finals now and I am desperate to get my hands on a bit of silverware - it has been a few years now since we won anything."It has not just become massive because the top four doesn't look as if it may happen, it was always massive for me."Despite being frustrated by fellow Europa League semi-finalists Fulham at Anfield yesterday, Carragher claims it is not home games that have cost them a place in the top four.While they had won their previous eight home league games, it is away from Anfield where they have faltered.Victory at Aston Villa in December was their last win on the road and so far they have lost eight and won just four away.Carragher added: "I think we have won the same amount of games as Wolves away from home. We need to do more than that."It is not at Anfield, it is the away form we need to improve."We have got two or three games left away from home and hopefully we can improve on that record."It is obviously going to be a lot more difficult to make the top four now but we have got to keep going, try to win our games and see where it takes us."Obviously we have left ourselves a lot to do, we are not stupid, but we have got to keep going."

Source: Team_Talk