Einto nightmare. Without a doubt. If it sticks in people’s minds, that could be it. Champions League, league, salvation of the team, everything seemed to be at stake for Liverpool at that moment. Jürgen Klopp was therefore drawn to his players in the dressing room after the disastrous exchange of blows against Real Madrid. With a message, he said later. He tried to make it clear to them that this 2: 5 (2: 0) shouldn’t destroy the self-confidence that Liverpool FC had worked hard to build up before the first knockout round of the Champions League, for heaven’s sake. That was the 2-0 work success in the Premier League against the extremely limited third from bottom and local rivals Everton almost ten days ago, which was jazzed up for liberation – because it was the first league win ever in 2023.
When they then managed to win 2-0 at the weekend, which was in a good mood, Newcastle United, that boded well for the game against Real. But Liverpool experienced their Waterloo on Anfield Road. Never before in the club’s European history had a team scored five goals in a visit to Liverpool. A disgrace without equal.
Last spring, Klopp’s team turned to the finish line with the chance of a historic quadruple. Barely a year later, she has long since left both national cup competitions without glory, ranks 19 points behind England’s league leaders before the next matchday – and now also ran into ruin against Real.
Liverpool broke up at the first sign of turbulence in the game. After just 14 minutes, Klopp’s team was 2-0 up, but then fell hopelessly behind. The breaking points were obvious, they are going through a very mixed season. “When a night of history and comedy turned into humiliation and horror, Jürgen Klopp could only look at the ruins of his Anfield empire,” summarized the English newspaper “Sun”.
“Have played completely into the hands of Real,” says Klopp
Klopp didn’t feel it that bad, he spoke of “a heavy blow” and that his team had “played completely into Real’s hands”. Lost too many balls at the wrong moments, too clumsy defended. Yet again. “All five goals were given away,” said Klopp, but also said: “In our situation it’s really important that we see positive steps and the first half, apart from the two goals conceded, was pretty much the best we’ve had in this one.” have played season.”
But that has far too often been the lowest denominator that Liverpool have been able to agree on this season. Good at times, too seldom over the full distance and often defeated in the end. So often now that the doubts are growing. On the team, whose necessary renewal is faltering and now only seems like a relic of glorious days. And last but not least the coach. An icon, albeit with a fading halo.
Klopp has more to explain and protect his team than he would like. They sometimes have bright spots in attack, but the poor performance of the defense doesn’t make up for them. As against Real. With the first chance to score, Liverpool took the lead in the fourth minute. After a cross from Mo Salah, Darwin outwitted Nunez with a back-heel from Thibaut Courtois. Real’s goalkeeper made a serious mistake ten minutes later: after returning the ball, Courtois stumbled the ball, which Salah took advantage of to take a 2-0 lead.
But with the first shot on goal, the guests scored in the 21st minute, Vinicius Junior scored after a one-two with Karim Benzema. Courtois’ opponent Alisson also made a blunder after returning: Liverpool’s goalkeeper shot Vinicius Junior, the ball bounced off his foot to make it 2-2 (36′). “That was slapstick,” said Klopp.
Game statistics were largely balanced
Real then turned the game around two minutes after the restart, Eder Militao heading in a free kick from Luka Modric to make it 3-2. A little later, Benzema increased his first goal of this Champions League season to 4: 2, Benzema’s shot after interacting with Rodrygo was deflected intolerably (55th). Twelve minutes later, the French striker scored again after a well-played counterattack. “Sometimes Madrid doesn’t seem real. The most amazing team in history never ceases to amaze,” said the commentator for Spanish newspaper El País.
So it was nothing with the desired revenge, not with this Liverpool side this season. Real not only won the Champions League final last year, but also the 2018 final against Klopp’s team. In addition, the Madrilenians prevailed against the English in the 2021 quarter-finals and can now relax in the second leg on March 15 in Madrid.
The game statistics were balanced. All relevant parameters such as possession of the ball, corners, shots on goal, tackle or pass rates were, if at all, only slightly to the disadvantage of the Liverpool team, in some areas Klopp’s team could even look back on better or at least equally good numbers after the end of the game. But that doesn’t count when the defensive has been so desolate and hopelessly overwhelmed for months as it was against Real. In England, therefore, the experts are now increasingly breaking the baton over the night of the table in the Premier League.
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, for example, attested to the TV station CBS Sport that the team was “defensively an absolute shambles, the whole season”. Arsenal’s ex-striker Thierry Henry even predicted “the end of an era for Liverpool” on the show. Ex-England international Alan Shearer also drew a devastating picture of Liverpool on the BBC and praised the opponent. “You saw a feat of believing in your abilities and sticking to the tactics the coach gave,” he said.
In the camp of the Madrilenians, however, this caused astonishment, which says a lot about the condition of the English patient. “We still believed in ourselves, but coming back like this is just crazy,” said Real’s German central defender Antonio Rüdiger.
That complicates things for Klopp, despite all his well-meaning words in the crew dressing room. He told his players “that a defeat is only a defeat if you don’t learn anything from it,” said Klopp. And that “it would be silly if we let this game influence us”. But how is something like this supposed to go unnoticed by a team? The sporting low blow that evening was too severe – and too often to cope with this season.
