Toothless Liverpool Exit Champions League After Real Madrid Stalemate
Liverpool exited the Champions League after a 0-0 draw against Real Madrid at Anfield.
Trailing 3-1 from the first tie, the Reds battered the Spaniards for 90 minutes, but couldn't find a way to goal against the deep sitting and disciplined Spaniards.
Despite creating several good openings, the home team -- with Mohamed Salah particularly guilty -- will rue their poor finishing and, of course, the abject performance in the first leg.
Liverpool started the game with a breakneck tempo …
4231 Formation The Next Tactical Port of Call For Liverpool
Ever since the beginning of the 2016/2017 season, Jurgen Klopp has almost consistently lined Liverpool up in a 433 formation.
The only exception came in the winter of the 2018/2019 season when the Reds lined up in a 4231 shape. In that reshuffle, Mohamed Salah played as the teams' focal point, with Roberto Firmino dropping into the number 10 role. Xherdan Shaqiri, meanwhile, in his most productive run at the club, added creativity from a right-wing berth.
Klopp soon reverted …
Fabinho "always puts the team above himself" - Pep Lijnders speaks about the best parts of Fabinho's game
Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders spoke at length about the importance of Fabinho and the huge role the Brazilian plays for The Reds.
Few people in world football would have the tactical nous to understand Fabinho's impact on the pitch as well as the first-hand experience of working with him on a daily basis. Lijnders knows the Brazil international's game like the back of his hand by this stage.
Speaking to Liverpoolfc.com this week, Lijnders went into great detail about …
The truth about Thiago and his pressing
The arrival of Thiago was supposed to give Liverpool a Plan B. The fear was that the opposition would soon find a way to limit the influence of the full-backs and that the Reds might get found out. However, injuries and Covid robbed Jurgen Klopp of his No.6 for the best part of half of the season. To complicate things even further, Thiago’s involvement with the first-team coincides with the Reds having their worst run of form under the German …
The Thiago & Fabinho Partnership: The Midfield of Liverpool's Future
Finally, for the first time since October, Fabinho played as a defensive midfielder in Liverpool's 2-0 Champions League last 16 win over Red Bull Leipzig.
The Brazilian, who, due to the Reds' huge injury toll, had operated in the centre half role for the majority of the season. The 27-year-old mostly excelled in the heart of the defence, but he was sorely missed in the engine room.
But with the signing of Ozan Kabak -- not to mention Ben Davies, …
Liverpool midfielder nominated for Champions League Player of the Week award
Liverpool's Fabinho is one of four players nominated for the Champions League Player of the Week award after his performance in The Reds' win over RB Leipzig.
Fabinho was in inspired form as he returned to his more natural defensive-midfield role, guarding the young centre-back pairing of Nat Phillips and Ozan Kabak. Thiago Alcântara was also allowed to roam further forward with Fabinho providing cover at the base of midfield. The Brazil international's presence alone had such a positive effect …
Ozan Kabak: Harshly criticised and under-praised
LIVERPOOL ARE BACK! Well, they've won another game, at least.
The Reds were excellent in their 2-0 win over RB Leipzig, as they were in the first leg and in a smattering of recent away matches.
For all this incomprehensibly bad home form at Anfield, which is now bordering on laughable, Jurgen Klopp's men haven't completely lost their mojo.
Wednesday's victory in Budapest was further proof that Liverpool's season isn't dead and buried, with more glory in Istanbul the one …
Liverpool And The Fabinho Conundrum
Without a shred of a doubt, Fabinho has been Liverpool's best centre half this season.
Considering the Brazilian only played the role once previously, keeping Robert Lewandowski scoreless in a 0-0 Champions League draw with FC Bayern in 2019, his adaptation to the heart of the defence has been remarkable.
In lieu of the injured Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip, the number 3 has been a beacon of consistency in the backline, despite the nonstop mismatch of …
Thiago hails teammate as "awesome to play alongside" after Liverpool progress in Champions League
Liverpool's Thiago Alcântara was signing the praises of Fabinho after The Reds' progressed to the quarter-final stages of the Champions League.
Fabinho was back in his more natural defensive-midfield role as Jürgen Klopp's men beat Bundesliga side, RB Leipzig, 2-0 in Budapest, going through 4-0 on aggregate.
Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané were the scorers, as they were in the first leg back in February. However, it was Fabinho's performance in front of the inexperienced centre-back pairing of Nat Phillips …
MOTM Fabinho raises levels as Liverpool advance in Europe
Jurgen Klopp hailed the joy of seeing "the best number six in the world" back in his favourite position, as Fabinho put in a Man of the Match display throughout Liverpool's 2-0 win over Leipzig on Wednesday night.
Courtesy of goals from Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, Liverpool rode to a 4-0 aggregate win over the in-form German side, casting aside Premier League concerns to move into the Champions League quarter finals.
Unlike the first leg, where Liverpool weren't brilliant …