Doesn't this game feel like the Camp Nou game? I think I was more angry at the officiating than anything else on the pitch. Messi's free-kick for the third was never a free kick. Yet, he scored a worldie, and every media house lapped it up.
How do you approach the reverse leg?
Do we go full throttle press or sit back and counter attack? Would we have the energy for 90 minutes and extra time to take it to penalties? For at least a week or so we will have to wait and see how it unfolds.
Feb 24, 2023·edited Feb 24, 2023Liked by Paul Tomkins, Abhimanyu V Rajput
Pressing summary:
I've collected the pressing in 51 matches now for Anfield Index's Under Pressure podcast, and there's a database of over 400 games in total across the Rodgers and Klopp era.
Total pressing actions: 332 (highest ever)
Possession wins: 54 (highest ever)
Group presses: 51 (high)
Efficiency: 86.7% (normal range)
Only one press led to a shot though, so there production wasn't there, but what it tells me is that throughout the match our intensity was back. The only goal caused by a failed press was the fifth.
Bajcetic - who struggled against Newcastle with a really low efficiency - was back to his previously set high standards with 35 pressing actions and TEN possession wins and a 97% success rate.
Henderson had the highest volume of presses with 44 and 9 possession wins (88%).
Gakpo was second on the list with 41, again 9 possession wins, and a 92% efficiency.
Robertson had his highest total (19) for four years, as did Trent with 20 but that is his highest ever - again both of them had high success rates as well.
The one caveat I'd pose is that for 20 minutes at the end we bumped up our numbers because we were chasing shadows and Madrid had no intention of taking risks and were knocking it sideways and backwards whenever we applied any pressure.
For more context, we had more presses in the first two minutes on Tuesday than the whole first half against Everton! The intensity was as high as it could for all the periods of the match apart from after we went 2-0 up until the equalised so could be an indication we slightly dropped off.
One thing is for sure, the pressing was not the problem in this game, in fact it was a huge positive.
I put this in the post match analysis thread, but maybe the answerers are more likely to come in here.
Can anyone tell me if there was an xG value attached to the Vinicius second goal. I just wonder as there was no shot, as Allison just kicked it off him as he turned his back. Contrast this to the Mo goal where he actually was given the ball a few metres from goal with only the goalie to beat. This must have been a huge xG chance by comparison, even though they both involved a keeper gaffe.
I ask due to the difference between xG and actual goals. Is the Mo one distorting it?
Have been ruminating since Tuesday night and for me it’s clear that our mentality in responding to set-backs has been awful all season. This is completely the opposite of what we have been over the past few years.
We always had additional experts come in toe chat to the squad about the fine margins - throw-in coach, Gronnemark or Surfer Sebastian Steudtner and others than I cannot remember.
I wonder if we need someone back in to remind the players about how to respond to set-backs.
Sebastian Steudtner, the German Surfer Klopp asked to speak to the lads in 2019:
“ As well as sharing his life experiences with the Liverpool squad, Steudtner also took Klopp’s players through a breathing exercise under water.
At first, most players struggled, but by the end of the session some were able to hold their breath for over three minutes.
“They were uncomfortable because it was not their natural environment,” Steudtner explained. “The lesson was they can, if under pressure in a rough situation, push it and stay calm they will go much further than they think they could.””
This seems particularly apt right now and we definitely need something to get these lads remembering how strong they were mentally before. Obviously there are other issues with our squad right now but it seems to me we still have enough good players to have a reasonable end to the season if we don’t get any more serious injuries and if we can just respond a bit more positively to set-backs as they always happen. Real Madrid gifted us a goal to go 2-0 down the other night but they did not react the way our team did when Ali messed up. I know that’s because they have form in coming back from these situations, but so do we and it isn’t that long ago.
I'll add that I've collected the pressing stats today, and though I can't say anything until the podcast is recorded, will do a detailed post tomorrow and it all ties in with what Paul has mentioned above, and in the Zen Den piece.
This is the most confusing game I've ever analysed.
Feb 23, 2023·edited Feb 23, 2023Liked by Paul Tomkins, Abhimanyu V Rajput
Amazing stuff, Paul! I was surprised how people reacted to our defeat. To me it was no surprise, but we were also extremely unlucky. Weird how luck has disappeared this season. Salah said after the Newcastle game 'you make your own luck'. I have no idea which gods we have pissed off 😂. Anyways, i hope Klopp can pick our lads back up again. We have to keep the league momentum going. We need a win against Palace.
My observations: (i) if I was picking a combined mid/fwd 6 from the RM/LFC sides based on this season's form, I would pick all six from RM; they're a bloody good side capable of bopping other bloody good sides, let alone the uneven collective that is this season's LFC; (ii) of course what actually happens in a particular match is important in and of itself but extrapolating from it to the health of the entire club is narrating noise; (iii) we are in a position where lots of things could get better but the chance that *all* of them get better is pretty low: lots of teams end up in long-term transition due to vicious circle effects that are hard to overcome. I think we'll be lucky if we recruit well in the summer, young players progress as hoped for, and it all sticks in time for a title challenge in 23/24.
Thanks for the replies, but I haven't gone through them as I'm too tired.
I just wrote my weekly ZenDen piece, for those paying subscribers on there for my 'bonus' content (£3.50 a month, for basically the kind of articles I used to do in the early days of TTT, which was still write such articles outside of TTT - in that case, for the official LFC site up until 2010), but the first half makes a few additional important points before the paywall, that I think people on here should read:
I need to clear my head for a couple of days, at least. But there's little time. At least going out of the CL will reduce the manic non-stop football that just wears me down, especially when we don't win and there's a meltdown.
Everyone needs to ask themselves: is it only about winning, and even though football is very important, shouldn't we try to enjoy it a bit more?
It's good to look at the trajectory of our attacking improvement over the last 3 games. Like you, say it goes back even further with firstly the experimentation of where to play Nunez and Gakpo (given quite a few minutes on the wing) and then the Gakpo as false 9 plan which took a few weeks to settle, but then almost suddenly looked right. He's played a lot and it's not surprising if he tired, although the effects of coming up against Camavinga meant he could n't catch a breather in this match.
Really, the elephant in the room for me, is how do we get through to the end of the season? With a busy schedule ahead, how do we respond to those moments when we need a midfield refresh? I agree the longer term, post summer, future looks brighter and potentially extremely bright and also, even if we don't get top 4 that isn't necessarily the end of our universe - that could even set us up for a potential title challenge.
However, even if we knew right now that top 4 wasn't possible, the next part of the season could be vital for the development of our squad. I don't like the idea that our midfield will be mostly comprised of dead wood just floating and jetsaming along til the end of the season. That's really not the healthy vibe I expect in a Klopp team. I felt quite hopeful with Keita around that we had a bit of usable depth and I am really quite upset that he didn't play a part on Tuesday. The same goes for Ox and Jones. If we are talking about the team having a crisis in confidence, then having the management make such a pointed statement about the backups not being of sufficient quality is bound to spread an atmosphere of insecurity through the squad. The impression I get is that since the post Brighton game fallout, there must have been harsh words, but an unwelcome consequence is there is viscious circle where over half of our midfield options feel demotivated/ lack of self esteem.
I don't think this is Klopp's fault that it's come to this, but the club as a whole has clearly failed by letting this situation arise. That we have to go through for the next few months wearing this failure like a badge of dishonour is humiliating for LFC. I guess we just have to grin and bear it, but it would be so nice if there were a few shoots of positivity from some of the midfield reserves. I think Milner's been great, but every time he comes on, it feels a bit like he's embarassing the younger guys that they can't compete with an old goat.
Anyway, my general point is about the anxiety and how can we shift it. I think it's a good thing that Fabinho managed to play half a good match at least. Same for Hendo obviously. They've contributed. But if the squad as a whole is going to build confidence, (which is pretty much Klopp's mantra), then we simply have to squeeze a bit more out of the other guys. And hopefully find a few green shoots for the future squad too. Is Jones the only one who might still be around next season?
Incidentally, on confidence - I did feel for Joe Gomez. He got so harshly punished by RM for the slightest of mistakes and the inevitable micro-examination that came with them. I thought you could see from his facial expression, that he was just sick from the misfortune of it all. I hope he doesn't overthink it. His lot was essentially unfair and he was very close to having an excellent performance in tune with the last 2 previous matches. Forgetabout it Joe!
"The end, instead, comes after having the same shots, more xG and more big chances against a Real Madrid team, as reigning (lucky) European champions who scored two lucky goals and got away with a clear penalty foul at 3-2?"
Thank you for this Paul. I'll read through the rest of the article today but this really helps in bringing some reality to the defeat.
Yesterday I switched away from all things football because, as I learnt from this site, the immediate knee-jerk reaction to a defeat is almost always wrong.
Since Rafa's vintage team thrashed Real Madrid in 2009, every time we get drawn against them, we are either too weak/severely weakened/not strong enough (2014, 2021, 2023) or when we are at equal strength with them (2018, 2022), RM got lucky and/or used the Dark Arts. We just get no luck against them, its like they've sold their soul just to get on top of us since 2009. How I long for the day when we finally knock RM off THEIR fucking perch. But I digress.
I don't blame the players, naturally I don't blame Jurgen. And though they are low-hanging fruits, FSG aren't completely to blame either. Rather, I'm pissed at our fitness department this season. How is it that we get consecutive injuries after consecutive injuries on many of our backbone squad players, players like Jota, Diaz, Konate, and to an extend, Thiago? WTF is going on with the fitness regimen there?
Brilliant as ever, Paul. You are a font of sanity and wisdom! Last night was disappointing but hardly surprising. I just can't understand the Twitter 'Klopp Out' meltdown or The Athletic's po-faced pile on. 😉 I enjoy reading Michael Cox but his analysis was a little too basic and simplistic. He really needed to do more research as you have highlighted.
Five of Real Madrid's midfielders are essentially better than all of our best three midfielders. We need to accept this fact. Even though Bajčetić is an absolute "baller" with a bright future, he is just a skinny kid with a handful of top level professional matches. There is absolutely no way that he should be the key man at his tender age. I accept that tactically Liverpool were naive and far too open. We allowed 'chaos ball' to develop with a view that a more unstructured game was to our advantage. Klopp can be criticized for that; it was obviously one part of the game plan. It was never going to be sustainable for more than 50 minutes so it was really important to get to 3-0. Once that chance was missed, I was personally dreading the rest of the match! Whichever way one looks at the 1st half, the Real injury worked to their advantage by allowing them a break and a tactical tweak.
Joe Gomez is a lovely bloke but is not an elite level CB. Given how tall defenders are these days it is very, very unlikely he will ever be imperious at CB even if he remains injury free. That is just modern biology and sports evolution.
Ultimately, Tuesday night was a lot more nuanced than sloppy or bad defending. Alisson had a cognitive blip by essentially 'double thinking' when Vinicius was obviously running to block the passing lane right. He knew, as we all did, that he ought to just "welly it" centrally but chose to play Pep ball back to the CB as if it was a moral imperative. He will hopefully learn from that! Núñez was blatantly fouled, so only Fowler knows how the referee has missed that penalty 😠 Clearly, it is not just PGMOL who have a corruption (anti-Liverpool) and bias issue...
The continued absence of that monster Konaté and the non-existent legs of Fabinho means that Liverpool are effectively playing with 1 less defender or just 2 midfielders. It is truly shocking how frail Fab is. I have mentioned it before but I sincerely believe that he is medically unwell but currently undiagnosed.
It looks like the Top Four is gone. 😒 The Champions League this season is already gone bar the return leg at Bernabeu; which will be a serious headache for FSG. However, less matches in 2023 will allow a proper re-set next season and more training time together.
Feb 23, 2023Liked by Paul Tomkins, Abhimanyu V Rajput
I couldn't agree more with the ridiculousness of the reactions by the media. I get that if you're a fan, yesterday sucked. I thought it sucked. We all thought it sucked experiencing it. But my notifications have been an endless stream of breathless "Is this the end of Klopp's Liverpool?" and it would make me embarrassed to be a journalist.
Here's two narratives:
- In a rematch of last year's Champions League Final, Real Madrid handed Liverpool their worst European defeat. Combined with their poor league position, is this the end of Liverpool's run?
- A retooling Liverpool side were able to score 2 on the reigning European Champions before some unlucky breaks and falling apart.
The problem with the latter narrative is it requires pundits to both pay attention and be willing to understand luck is a factor. There was a hilarious bit on our coverage here where Peter Schmeichel declared that Real Madrid's victory in Paris had nothing to do with luck, then after a package breaking down the game Jamie Carragher called him out on how even he described multiple pivotal moments as lucky. It's just a pathological obsession some pundits (particularly those who were high level athletes) have in acknowledging the role of luck... in a sport that literally includes a bouncing ball.
But I think the general bias of punditry towards simplicity and sensationalism means we don't get the kind of analysis here and have to suffer through all sorts of silly narratives. Which is a shame because the reality of what happened is far more interesting. As a test of where the project is, this early in its turnover, I think we can see some real positives and some real negatives. It's also interesting because this Real Madrid side is very similar to what Klopp is trying to do.
I would never be confused as someone who likes Real Madrid, but the progress of rebuilding from their Galacticos Era is fascinating. They've made some smart signings of older players on frees (Rudiger, Alaba), have spent years bedding in young transfers like Vinicus and Rodrygo (a combined 90 mill, or, what Chelsea will spend on the next player that they have no plan to utilize), other young transfers like Camavinga and Tchoumeni, some players through the youth academy, while phasing out (but still getting valuable contributions from) the remnants of that Ronaldo side. Of the side that won in Kyiv, they had three start at Anfield and three come off the bench. Compared to 5 start and 2 come off the bench for the Reds. Very similarly, they're just a little ahead of the curve because they started sooner.
They have also suffered through lean times because of this (by Real Madrid standards). This is the 5th season since Kyiv. They have only two leagues and one European Cup, a paltry return (by Real Madrid standards) and even that is buoyed by their miraculous UCL run last season and being able to nip a pair of leagues off a a basket case in Barcelona.
In many ways, Kyiv was Madrid at the end of one era (Ronaldo would be sold shortly after) and Liverpool at the start of one (that team still didn't have Fabinho or Alisson). Since then Madrid has rebuilt, with (by Real Madrid standards) limited spending, at least certainly compared to the abominations, and are almost a blueprint for a process Klopp is only in the early stages of. In an era where the abominations are spending disturbing amounts of money and other European giants like Bayern, United, and Juventus are struggling to find a way forward, two of the most distinguished clubs in world football rebuilding and retooling on the fly without bankrupting themselves or relying on oil money is absolutely fascinating.
But, nah, let's speculate if KLOPP'S LIVERPOOL IS AT AN END!
Thanks Paul, your analysis always brings to mind the Kipling quote “ If you can keep your head when all (Carra etc) about you are losing theirs…” . You truly are the zen master. After the previous two victories I persuaded myself the old Liverpool was back but then last night I felt gutted, remembering the Aristotle saying “one swallow does not make a summer, neither does one fine day”. However your fantastic piece lifts my mood, we don’t need to rebuild from scratch as Jurgen has already quietly started the renovations. It’s a work in progress and like all great masterpieces it will only be forged through blood, sweat and tears (and doubtless more defeats !) but I have confidence in Jurgen that it will be worth the wait. So while “walking through the storm” I’ll remember there will be “a golden sky and the sweet silver song of a lark”. How easily we forget the joy this group of players have given us, wonderful Anfield nights (Barca) that will return if we can keep the faith and remind the team at every game they truly will “ never walk alone “.
Thanks Paul, really needed these reads after last night; really calmed me down. It’s impossible to be down while recognizing the midfield is utterly poor this season. Instead of falling down the rabbit hole, you’ve given me a reason to hope that missing top four this year might not be fatal. Maybe.
Doesn't this game feel like the Camp Nou game? I think I was more angry at the officiating than anything else on the pitch. Messi's free-kick for the third was never a free kick. Yet, he scored a worldie, and every media house lapped it up.
How do you approach the reverse leg?
Do we go full throttle press or sit back and counter attack? Would we have the energy for 90 minutes and extra time to take it to penalties? For at least a week or so we will have to wait and see how it unfolds.
Pressing summary:
I've collected the pressing in 51 matches now for Anfield Index's Under Pressure podcast, and there's a database of over 400 games in total across the Rodgers and Klopp era.
Total pressing actions: 332 (highest ever)
Possession wins: 54 (highest ever)
Group presses: 51 (high)
Efficiency: 86.7% (normal range)
Only one press led to a shot though, so there production wasn't there, but what it tells me is that throughout the match our intensity was back. The only goal caused by a failed press was the fifth.
Bajcetic - who struggled against Newcastle with a really low efficiency - was back to his previously set high standards with 35 pressing actions and TEN possession wins and a 97% success rate.
Henderson had the highest volume of presses with 44 and 9 possession wins (88%).
Gakpo was second on the list with 41, again 9 possession wins, and a 92% efficiency.
Robertson had his highest total (19) for four years, as did Trent with 20 but that is his highest ever - again both of them had high success rates as well.
The one caveat I'd pose is that for 20 minutes at the end we bumped up our numbers because we were chasing shadows and Madrid had no intention of taking risks and were knocking it sideways and backwards whenever we applied any pressure.
For more context, we had more presses in the first two minutes on Tuesday than the whole first half against Everton! The intensity was as high as it could for all the periods of the match apart from after we went 2-0 up until the equalised so could be an indication we slightly dropped off.
One thing is for sure, the pressing was not the problem in this game, in fact it was a huge positive.
I put this in the post match analysis thread, but maybe the answerers are more likely to come in here.
Can anyone tell me if there was an xG value attached to the Vinicius second goal. I just wonder as there was no shot, as Allison just kicked it off him as he turned his back. Contrast this to the Mo goal where he actually was given the ball a few metres from goal with only the goalie to beat. This must have been a huge xG chance by comparison, even though they both involved a keeper gaffe.
I ask due to the difference between xG and actual goals. Is the Mo one distorting it?
Have been ruminating since Tuesday night and for me it’s clear that our mentality in responding to set-backs has been awful all season. This is completely the opposite of what we have been over the past few years.
We always had additional experts come in toe chat to the squad about the fine margins - throw-in coach, Gronnemark or Surfer Sebastian Steudtner and others than I cannot remember.
I wonder if we need someone back in to remind the players about how to respond to set-backs.
Sebastian Steudtner, the German Surfer Klopp asked to speak to the lads in 2019:
“ As well as sharing his life experiences with the Liverpool squad, Steudtner also took Klopp’s players through a breathing exercise under water.
At first, most players struggled, but by the end of the session some were able to hold their breath for over three minutes.
“They were uncomfortable because it was not their natural environment,” Steudtner explained. “The lesson was they can, if under pressure in a rough situation, push it and stay calm they will go much further than they think they could.””
This seems particularly apt right now and we definitely need something to get these lads remembering how strong they were mentally before. Obviously there are other issues with our squad right now but it seems to me we still have enough good players to have a reasonable end to the season if we don’t get any more serious injuries and if we can just respond a bit more positively to set-backs as they always happen. Real Madrid gifted us a goal to go 2-0 down the other night but they did not react the way our team did when Ali messed up. I know that’s because they have form in coming back from these situations, but so do we and it isn’t that long ago.
I'll add that I've collected the pressing stats today, and though I can't say anything until the podcast is recorded, will do a detailed post tomorrow and it all ties in with what Paul has mentioned above, and in the Zen Den piece.
This is the most confusing game I've ever analysed.
Amazing stuff, Paul! I was surprised how people reacted to our defeat. To me it was no surprise, but we were also extremely unlucky. Weird how luck has disappeared this season. Salah said after the Newcastle game 'you make your own luck'. I have no idea which gods we have pissed off 😂. Anyways, i hope Klopp can pick our lads back up again. We have to keep the league momentum going. We need a win against Palace.
My observations: (i) if I was picking a combined mid/fwd 6 from the RM/LFC sides based on this season's form, I would pick all six from RM; they're a bloody good side capable of bopping other bloody good sides, let alone the uneven collective that is this season's LFC; (ii) of course what actually happens in a particular match is important in and of itself but extrapolating from it to the health of the entire club is narrating noise; (iii) we are in a position where lots of things could get better but the chance that *all* of them get better is pretty low: lots of teams end up in long-term transition due to vicious circle effects that are hard to overcome. I think we'll be lucky if we recruit well in the summer, young players progress as hoped for, and it all sticks in time for a title challenge in 23/24.
Thanks for the replies, but I haven't gone through them as I'm too tired.
I just wrote my weekly ZenDen piece, for those paying subscribers on there for my 'bonus' content (£3.50 a month, for basically the kind of articles I used to do in the early days of TTT, which was still write such articles outside of TTT - in that case, for the official LFC site up until 2010), but the first half makes a few additional important points before the paywall, that I think people on here should read:
https://thezendentomkinstimes.substack.com/p/madrid-were-lucky-and-how-we-need
I need to clear my head for a couple of days, at least. But there's little time. At least going out of the CL will reduce the manic non-stop football that just wears me down, especially when we don't win and there's a meltdown.
Everyone needs to ask themselves: is it only about winning, and even though football is very important, shouldn't we try to enjoy it a bit more?
It's good to look at the trajectory of our attacking improvement over the last 3 games. Like you, say it goes back even further with firstly the experimentation of where to play Nunez and Gakpo (given quite a few minutes on the wing) and then the Gakpo as false 9 plan which took a few weeks to settle, but then almost suddenly looked right. He's played a lot and it's not surprising if he tired, although the effects of coming up against Camavinga meant he could n't catch a breather in this match.
Really, the elephant in the room for me, is how do we get through to the end of the season? With a busy schedule ahead, how do we respond to those moments when we need a midfield refresh? I agree the longer term, post summer, future looks brighter and potentially extremely bright and also, even if we don't get top 4 that isn't necessarily the end of our universe - that could even set us up for a potential title challenge.
However, even if we knew right now that top 4 wasn't possible, the next part of the season could be vital for the development of our squad. I don't like the idea that our midfield will be mostly comprised of dead wood just floating and jetsaming along til the end of the season. That's really not the healthy vibe I expect in a Klopp team. I felt quite hopeful with Keita around that we had a bit of usable depth and I am really quite upset that he didn't play a part on Tuesday. The same goes for Ox and Jones. If we are talking about the team having a crisis in confidence, then having the management make such a pointed statement about the backups not being of sufficient quality is bound to spread an atmosphere of insecurity through the squad. The impression I get is that since the post Brighton game fallout, there must have been harsh words, but an unwelcome consequence is there is viscious circle where over half of our midfield options feel demotivated/ lack of self esteem.
I don't think this is Klopp's fault that it's come to this, but the club as a whole has clearly failed by letting this situation arise. That we have to go through for the next few months wearing this failure like a badge of dishonour is humiliating for LFC. I guess we just have to grin and bear it, but it would be so nice if there were a few shoots of positivity from some of the midfield reserves. I think Milner's been great, but every time he comes on, it feels a bit like he's embarassing the younger guys that they can't compete with an old goat.
Anyway, my general point is about the anxiety and how can we shift it. I think it's a good thing that Fabinho managed to play half a good match at least. Same for Hendo obviously. They've contributed. But if the squad as a whole is going to build confidence, (which is pretty much Klopp's mantra), then we simply have to squeeze a bit more out of the other guys. And hopefully find a few green shoots for the future squad too. Is Jones the only one who might still be around next season?
Incidentally, on confidence - I did feel for Joe Gomez. He got so harshly punished by RM for the slightest of mistakes and the inevitable micro-examination that came with them. I thought you could see from his facial expression, that he was just sick from the misfortune of it all. I hope he doesn't overthink it. His lot was essentially unfair and he was very close to having an excellent performance in tune with the last 2 previous matches. Forgetabout it Joe!
"The end, instead, comes after having the same shots, more xG and more big chances against a Real Madrid team, as reigning (lucky) European champions who scored two lucky goals and got away with a clear penalty foul at 3-2?"
Thank you for this Paul. I'll read through the rest of the article today but this really helps in bringing some reality to the defeat.
Yesterday I switched away from all things football because, as I learnt from this site, the immediate knee-jerk reaction to a defeat is almost always wrong.
Since Rafa's vintage team thrashed Real Madrid in 2009, every time we get drawn against them, we are either too weak/severely weakened/not strong enough (2014, 2021, 2023) or when we are at equal strength with them (2018, 2022), RM got lucky and/or used the Dark Arts. We just get no luck against them, its like they've sold their soul just to get on top of us since 2009. How I long for the day when we finally knock RM off THEIR fucking perch. But I digress.
I don't blame the players, naturally I don't blame Jurgen. And though they are low-hanging fruits, FSG aren't completely to blame either. Rather, I'm pissed at our fitness department this season. How is it that we get consecutive injuries after consecutive injuries on many of our backbone squad players, players like Jota, Diaz, Konate, and to an extend, Thiago? WTF is going on with the fitness regimen there?
Brilliant as ever, Paul. You are a font of sanity and wisdom! Last night was disappointing but hardly surprising. I just can't understand the Twitter 'Klopp Out' meltdown or The Athletic's po-faced pile on. 😉 I enjoy reading Michael Cox but his analysis was a little too basic and simplistic. He really needed to do more research as you have highlighted.
Five of Real Madrid's midfielders are essentially better than all of our best three midfielders. We need to accept this fact. Even though Bajčetić is an absolute "baller" with a bright future, he is just a skinny kid with a handful of top level professional matches. There is absolutely no way that he should be the key man at his tender age. I accept that tactically Liverpool were naive and far too open. We allowed 'chaos ball' to develop with a view that a more unstructured game was to our advantage. Klopp can be criticized for that; it was obviously one part of the game plan. It was never going to be sustainable for more than 50 minutes so it was really important to get to 3-0. Once that chance was missed, I was personally dreading the rest of the match! Whichever way one looks at the 1st half, the Real injury worked to their advantage by allowing them a break and a tactical tweak.
Joe Gomez is a lovely bloke but is not an elite level CB. Given how tall defenders are these days it is very, very unlikely he will ever be imperious at CB even if he remains injury free. That is just modern biology and sports evolution.
Ultimately, Tuesday night was a lot more nuanced than sloppy or bad defending. Alisson had a cognitive blip by essentially 'double thinking' when Vinicius was obviously running to block the passing lane right. He knew, as we all did, that he ought to just "welly it" centrally but chose to play Pep ball back to the CB as if it was a moral imperative. He will hopefully learn from that! Núñez was blatantly fouled, so only Fowler knows how the referee has missed that penalty 😠 Clearly, it is not just PGMOL who have a corruption (anti-Liverpool) and bias issue...
The continued absence of that monster Konaté and the non-existent legs of Fabinho means that Liverpool are effectively playing with 1 less defender or just 2 midfielders. It is truly shocking how frail Fab is. I have mentioned it before but I sincerely believe that he is medically unwell but currently undiagnosed.
It looks like the Top Four is gone. 😒 The Champions League this season is already gone bar the return leg at Bernabeu; which will be a serious headache for FSG. However, less matches in 2023 will allow a proper re-set next season and more training time together.
The rebuild has begun!
I couldn't agree more with the ridiculousness of the reactions by the media. I get that if you're a fan, yesterday sucked. I thought it sucked. We all thought it sucked experiencing it. But my notifications have been an endless stream of breathless "Is this the end of Klopp's Liverpool?" and it would make me embarrassed to be a journalist.
Here's two narratives:
- In a rematch of last year's Champions League Final, Real Madrid handed Liverpool their worst European defeat. Combined with their poor league position, is this the end of Liverpool's run?
- A retooling Liverpool side were able to score 2 on the reigning European Champions before some unlucky breaks and falling apart.
The problem with the latter narrative is it requires pundits to both pay attention and be willing to understand luck is a factor. There was a hilarious bit on our coverage here where Peter Schmeichel declared that Real Madrid's victory in Paris had nothing to do with luck, then after a package breaking down the game Jamie Carragher called him out on how even he described multiple pivotal moments as lucky. It's just a pathological obsession some pundits (particularly those who were high level athletes) have in acknowledging the role of luck... in a sport that literally includes a bouncing ball.
But I think the general bias of punditry towards simplicity and sensationalism means we don't get the kind of analysis here and have to suffer through all sorts of silly narratives. Which is a shame because the reality of what happened is far more interesting. As a test of where the project is, this early in its turnover, I think we can see some real positives and some real negatives. It's also interesting because this Real Madrid side is very similar to what Klopp is trying to do.
I would never be confused as someone who likes Real Madrid, but the progress of rebuilding from their Galacticos Era is fascinating. They've made some smart signings of older players on frees (Rudiger, Alaba), have spent years bedding in young transfers like Vinicus and Rodrygo (a combined 90 mill, or, what Chelsea will spend on the next player that they have no plan to utilize), other young transfers like Camavinga and Tchoumeni, some players through the youth academy, while phasing out (but still getting valuable contributions from) the remnants of that Ronaldo side. Of the side that won in Kyiv, they had three start at Anfield and three come off the bench. Compared to 5 start and 2 come off the bench for the Reds. Very similarly, they're just a little ahead of the curve because they started sooner.
They have also suffered through lean times because of this (by Real Madrid standards). This is the 5th season since Kyiv. They have only two leagues and one European Cup, a paltry return (by Real Madrid standards) and even that is buoyed by their miraculous UCL run last season and being able to nip a pair of leagues off a a basket case in Barcelona.
In many ways, Kyiv was Madrid at the end of one era (Ronaldo would be sold shortly after) and Liverpool at the start of one (that team still didn't have Fabinho or Alisson). Since then Madrid has rebuilt, with (by Real Madrid standards) limited spending, at least certainly compared to the abominations, and are almost a blueprint for a process Klopp is only in the early stages of. In an era where the abominations are spending disturbing amounts of money and other European giants like Bayern, United, and Juventus are struggling to find a way forward, two of the most distinguished clubs in world football rebuilding and retooling on the fly without bankrupting themselves or relying on oil money is absolutely fascinating.
But, nah, let's speculate if KLOPP'S LIVERPOOL IS AT AN END!
Thanks Paul, your analysis always brings to mind the Kipling quote “ If you can keep your head when all (Carra etc) about you are losing theirs…” . You truly are the zen master. After the previous two victories I persuaded myself the old Liverpool was back but then last night I felt gutted, remembering the Aristotle saying “one swallow does not make a summer, neither does one fine day”. However your fantastic piece lifts my mood, we don’t need to rebuild from scratch as Jurgen has already quietly started the renovations. It’s a work in progress and like all great masterpieces it will only be forged through blood, sweat and tears (and doubtless more defeats !) but I have confidence in Jurgen that it will be worth the wait. So while “walking through the storm” I’ll remember there will be “a golden sky and the sweet silver song of a lark”. How easily we forget the joy this group of players have given us, wonderful Anfield nights (Barca) that will return if we can keep the faith and remind the team at every game they truly will “ never walk alone “.
Thanks Paul, another amazing piece. Really appreciate it.
Thanks Paul, really needed these reads after last night; really calmed me down. It’s impossible to be down while recognizing the midfield is utterly poor this season. Instead of falling down the rabbit hole, you’ve given me a reason to hope that missing top four this year might not be fatal. Maybe.