CL embarrassment averted with a trick
Clever Klopp solves 11 Liverpool problems
By Tobias Nordman
05/04/2022 07:57 am
Liverpool FC need half a time to find themselves in the semi-final second leg at Villarreal FC. Coach Jürgen Klopp improvises during the break and changes the success. The penultimate step feels “outstanding, tremendous,” says the coach.
The small stadium of Villarreal FC raged, the team raged and Liverpool FC faltered. For 45 minutes, the Champions League semi-final second leg between these unlikely sides followed a surreal script. Probably nobody seriously expected that the “yellow submarine” from the small Spanish town – sunk 2-0 by the dominant Reds in the first leg – would reappear. That Jürgen Klopp and his footballers would still have an existential fight for the final. But that’s exactly how it happened. After three minutes, the hosts were already 1-0 ahead through Boulaye Dia. Shortly before the break, former Freiburg player Francis Coquelin made it 2-0. Suddenly one of the biggest sensations in Champions League history seemed possible on Tuesday evening.
Coach Klopp knew how to prevent that. With a clever substitution, Luis Diaz came in for the stray Diogo Jota, and with improvised corrections on the tactics board. Actually, he had wanted to show the Liverpoolers, who threatened to collapse under the pressure of the Spaniards, good scenes from the first half. Assistant coach Peter Krawitz had a duty to look for and find appropriate moments. But he quickly waved it off. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done, Klopp reported later and was amused by the chaos of his team. “A little bit of tactics board, a little bit of explaining where we want to go,” he said, waking up his sleepy team. But as “really happy” about these simple “football things” as he felt after the win – his team turned the game around after goals from Fabinho (62′), Luis Diaz (67′) and Sadio Mane (74′). still to a 3:2 – that’s how tense he was after the turbulent start.
After a remarkable combination via Pervis Estupinan and Etienne Capoue (it remains unclear whether he actually wanted to cross the ball again) Dia had dusted off. Liverpool staggered and stared like a Goliath boxer who’d had his head punched by little David. Thiago, who was still outstanding in the first leg, put one bad pass after the next. The midfield around Fabinho and Naby Keita couldn’t plug as many holes as there were. The defensive line with its star full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson as well as the giants Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté seemed surprisingly overwhelmed.
“The way we reacted was special”
“They made steam, the small stadium was on fire, they bought our guts. We didn’t have any rhythm,” analyzed Klopp. “We had 11 problems in the first half, if you will.” However, the coach quickly garnished this slamming of his team with a gigantic compliment: “The way we reacted was special” – now his team can make history. The Reds continue to bid for four titles this season. Either Real Madrid or Manchester City await in Paris on May 28 in the final of the premier class. “Outstanding, tremendous” that feels, said Klopp, who failed at Real with Liverpool in 2018 (it was the game in which the knocked-out goalkeeper Loris Karius became a tragic figure) and won the most important pot in club football in 2019. “It feels like it’s the first time.”
A feeling of happiness after hard work. Which was only done in a Liverpool-like manner after the break. With fast play, with pressure and also dominance. But it also took the good worker’s luck to push the game in the right direction (from the Reds’ point of view). Villarreal goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli slipped the unplaced shot under him when Fabinho scored. The Reds gratefully accepted and picked up speed. Especially about the busy Diaz, whose substitution turned out to be the key to victory. Klopp knew that. And he knew that Diogo Jota was sad. So he grabbed his striker after the final whistle, spoke to him for a long time and lifted his chin.
And Klopp also gave consolation to the Spanish fans. He greeted the grandstand and raised his hands appreciatively. Later he explained full of admiration: “We drove here, with the bus through the small streets, and then you think: This is different. What they’re doing here is crazy. The troupe makes it crazy. There are a few guys there who know We’re from the Premier League. They’re not here because they pulled down the trees at Tottenham. I think the stadium is awesome.”
The good and the bad
Back to iota. In a way, the Portuguese was the symbol of Liverpool’s excessive demands in the first half, which Klopp could only marvel at: “We just shot the long balls somewhere and tried to force it,” said Klopp. The “stupid” thing about such a half-time is, “it’s bad, the good thing is, it’s easy to improve”. And after the clear speech in the changing room, “we thought we’d try that now that we’re there.” Trent Alexander-Arnold told BT Sport: “We made the switch at half-time, grabbed the chance and did what we had to do.” They fought first and then played. Alexander-Arnold hit the bar with a deflected shot (55th). It was the cracking signal to turn. Klopp said he told the boys before the second leg that he wanted to read the headline: “The mentality monsters were in town”. He can now feel like a prophet.
Thanks to Klopp, a German coach has grabbed the pot for the fifth time in a row: Thomas Tuchel won the title with Chelsea last year. Klopp himself moves into a legendary circle with the entry into the final. In his fourth appearance in the final, he is on par with Carlo Ancelotti (who is able to pull away again with Real Madrid tonight), Sir Alex Ferguson and Marcello Lippi. In addition, the first quadruple for an English club is still possible for the Reds, they already have the League Cup, FA Cup, championship and the Champions League victory are still there.
But Klopp doesn’t want to think about that in view of the hard workload. “It’s just nonsense with this quadruple crap. We’re going to play Tottenham first, they’re the best counterattack team in the world, we have to win it.” The tension within his heavily challenged team is definitely there, he doesn’t have to do much. But the thing is, “We play every game that’s possible on the schedule. We’ve played through everything, we’re playing all the finals, there’s a reason nobody’s won the quad yet.” But at some point there is always a first time.