CL qualification arguably leads to increased future trophy opportunities and even the potential of a league challenge. If someone is saying FA cup this season and then a reduced chance of future trophies or we get CL qualification but no FA Cup this season but we have a far better chance each season afterwards then that makes the choice a bit easier.
Would still love to win the FA cup though.
My thinking on this has probably changed a bit, even in the last couple of years.
I understand it's a bit annoying when mainkly Liverpool fans makemockery of how many years it's been. I do think it's partly motivated by fear, they never really did it before Moshiri arrived, as there was little expectations we'd even win a trophy.
Partly to shut them up, but more that really it was all I ever saw us doing/I knew we didn't have the infastructure to capitalise on it even if we got top 4, I'd have always previously taken the trophy option. While we are not completely there yet, we are a lot further along, and with the DOF and manager we have, as well as the owners commitment we are now qualitatively better placed to capitalise if we got top 4. We have a manager who Christiano Ronaldo rings to congratulate on signing players.
If we got top 4, with the money available and the manager, we do what we do last summer but style it up. I would not be surprised if names such as Ronaldo, Ramos, Mueller, Boateng etc were not in the frame. You can add in thers, Rabiot, Varane, Casemiro, Modric. I'm not saying we sign them all, but 2-3 could easily come. People will say it sounds ludicrous, but it's no more ludicrous than saying a year ago we'd get Allan and James Rodriguez here for little over 20m between them.
We also probably get a couple of the young up and coming big deals over the line. Maybe Luka Jovic comes. Max Aarons probably comes and forces a move here. Puig from Barca, or if he ever gets fit the lad Dembele might.
You get the gist. Most of the above doesn't happen- or certainly doesn't happen as quickly if we win the FA Cup but finish 10th. Don't get me wrong, I'd be delighted with 10th and the FA Cup, but thats the reality of things.
We get hung up on being "winners" but now that probably means finishing in the top 4. Ancelotti knows this. People laighed at Arsenal for always finishing in the top 4 and winning nothing, but it contributed to them winning the FA Cup 4 years out of the last 7, alongside getting to Europea finals. Lets be honest, if we win 4 FA Cups in the next 7 years, we are all delighted beyind expectations.