Real Madrid vs LIVERPOOL - Champions League QF 1st leg

[Doc_Piptorious]

Angel eyes Thiago... I always love Lucas for that, nice little stopping fouls, jarring the opposition a bit, never dirty enough for a yellow...

I so hope that is a Lee Van Cleef reference.

If so then have a

If not then **** off.

[Exiled_red]

We played slow pedestrian like football we are much better when we play with a fast tempo, we can't sit back and control the game without Henderson in the side. For me so much of our poor play is as a result of the midfield, we don't control games we didn't create chances for the forwards first half and they didn't protect the defence. Of the guys who played in midfield tonight only Fabinho has been close to his best all season and he has played more at CB than CM. Wijnaldum has been hit and miss, had a good moment for the goal but did little else of note. Naby was dire, tonight might be the straw that broke the camel's back. Thiago needs more time to settle and it may be the company he's in but he hasn't looked the Rolls Royce player we thought we were getting.

Defensively Robertson and TAA look knackered and are way off previous levels. No idea what Trent was going for their 2nd. Phillips made mistakes tonight, I can let him off the first goal as that was really good play from Madrid, perhaps he was naive but for that one he was just outclassed. The 3rd goal he just has to get closer to his man. I think it's harsh to blame Alisson on that one, itw would have required some save.

Attack wise Mane is just awful no idea what is wrong, just suspect he needs a break, Firmino hasn't been much better and although it wasn't the regular front three you feel only Salah is a goal threat, fortunately Jota is too and really has to be starting probably in place of Mane to give us more than one threat

[Venton]

I so hope that is a Lee Van Cleef reference.

If so then have a

If not then **** off.

You're the son of a thousand fathers! All *******s like you! And your mother? Your mother... it's better not to talk of her...

all the way

[Venton]

Liverpool need 2 goals at Anfield vs Madrid... Liverpool have only scored one goal at Anfield in 2021.

We

[Fosterbloke]

I woke up at 6am and decided to go for a mountain bike ride instead of watching the match. It certainly puts you in a better frame of mind for when we suffer losses like this.

[BobTheCharmer]

Looks like a ladies bike

But I certainly understand the notion of doing something other than watching something that once resembled a game of football.

[Fredo]

Real exposed our weaknesses last night completely. They had a plan and executed it well and could have scored a couple more. 5-1 wouldn’t have flattered them. We needed to be better on the ball to keep them at bay, which we didn’t, especially first half. We couldn’t string two passes together and get pass their press. When we did, we gave the ball away cheaply. We were better second half and that’s how the game should have been since the first minute.

A tough ask for the second leg. We need to score two and not concede. I’d play Fabinho next to Kabak to help in ball retention and play Jones in midfield.

[Fosterbloke]

Looks like a ladies bike



But I certainly understand the notion of doing something other than watching something that once resembled a game of football.

I don't know whether to be offended or laugh at your cluelessness. Ah why not both..

[Maxiedge]

We looked jaded from the off last night. We’ve turned up like that to European away games before. I don’t think this is a continuation of the poor form this season but just a tough away game with hardly any time to recover and prepare. Chelsea get an extra days rest. Bit of a joke really.

[Exiled_red]

Real exposed our weaknesses last night completely. They had a plan and executed it well and could have scored a couple more. 5-1 wouldn’t have flattered them. We needed to be better on the ball to keep them at bay, which we didn’t, especially first half. We couldn’t string two passes together and get pass their press. When we did, we gave the ball away cheaply. We were better second half and that’s how the game should have been since the first minute.

A tough ask for the second leg. We need to score two and not concede. I’d play Fabinho next to Kabak to help in ball retention and play Jones in midfield.

Personally I don't think that helps, we have been much better with Fabinho in midfield taking him out of there and putting him CB doesn't help IMO. To win the game next week we need to dominate the midfield, I don't think we help do that by moving our best midfielder out of there.

[Fredo]

Personally I don't think that helps, we have been much better with Fabinho in midfield taking him out of there and putting him CB doesn't help IMO. To win the game next week we need to dominate the midfield, I don't think we help do that by moving our best midfielder out of there.

We’ve been better against lesser teams. Fabinho in defence gives us that control in possession which we don’t have with Nat Phillips for example. We’ve got enough quality in midfield without Fabinho. Whether the players who are capable can consistently play there is another question but there’s no question we have options which we don’t have in defence.

[Exiled_red]

We’ve been better against lesser teams. Fabinho in defence gives us that control in possession which we don’t have with Nat Phillips for example. We’ve got enough quality in midfield without Fabinho. Whether the players who are capable can consistently play there is another question but there’s no question we have options which we don’t have in defence.

He's been decent when partnered with one of our regular CBs (VVD, Gomez or Matip) but the Spurs and Palace games in December are the only ones I think we have won when he's been partnered with one of the less experienced guys. We've been far better since he was put back in midfield.

The issue for me last night was the lack of control of midfield, we were completely outplayed there, control the midfield and we limit their chances, I think moving Fabinho from midfield weakens our chances even more.

[npinn001]

We’ve been better against lesser teams. Fabinho in defence gives us that control in possession which we don’t have with Nat Phillips for example. We’ve got enough quality in midfield without Fabinho. Whether the players who are capable can consistently play there is another question but there’s no question we have options which we don’t have in defence.

I see it differently. I think Klopp is aware of defensive frailties so his plan was to dominate the midfield and attack so we didn't need to defend much, that old adage. However, second leg I wouldn't change much other than to have thiago in from the start in place of keita and possibly firmino on. Jota as impact sub later in the game. Or mane, one of them to come on with tired legs.

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[danperkins]

Personally I don't think that helps, we have been much better with Fabinho in midfield taking him out of there and putting him CB doesn't help IMO. To win the game next week we need to dominate the midfield, I don't think we help do that by moving our best midfielder out of there.

Fab just looked knackered last night. Keita who was an absolute embarrassment & Gini who apart from one good burst forward was dreadful, we were completely dominated in there but we let it happen. We let two of the best passers in the game in Kroos & Modric have the ball the whole game without pressing or closing them down and we got punished for it. We brought Thiago on the get some sustained possession, that worked for about 10 mins and then he just made up the numbers.

Personally I can see Klopp playing the 4 lads up top and using Bobby to put pressure of the their deep lying play makers. Madrid are not a great side, we just let them dictate the midfield and gave them opportunities to pick holes in our weak spots & our main weak spots all season are "Ball over the top behind Trent & the space between Trent and the any one of the 400 CB's he has played with this season. The lack of communication last night was shocking and we allowed them to expose us.

[Maxiedge]

Fab is a solid athlete and when he looks tired, that's a sign to me that we just haven't fully recovered in time for the game. It's just that 5-10% sharpness was missing and they fully took advantage. I said it in the match thread within 10 minutes that we look off. When you're tired, everything looks worse (lack of effort, intensity, wayward passes etc...)

Saying that, Keita was brought in for freshness but Klopp will be fuming with his lack of effort privately and I think he will be off now.