When Liverpool saw their Champions League title defense ended dramatically by Atletico Madrid at Anfield, Jurgen Klopp failed on the style of his opponents.
“I don’t understand the quality they have of the football they play,” said the German. “They can play football well, but they are deep and have counterattacks.
“We accept it, of course, but it doesn’t feel right.”
Marcos Llorente came off the bench to shine when Atletico Madrid beat Liverpool on Wednesday
It was a frustrating night when missed opportunities returned to Jurgen Klopp’s squad
Liverpool have reached successive Champions League finals and have established themselves as one of the most exciting teams to watch in Europe.
Under Diego Simeone, Atletico Madrid has built a reputation as a defensive first match with the desire to allow opponents to dominate possession so they can punish for the counter-attack.
Liverpool dominated in large areas, struggling to break down their opponents centrally, and in the end it was Diego Simeone who tactically outsmarted his counterpart Klopp.
With that in mind, Sports email looks at where Klopp and his players at Anfield lost, from a gap in the class between the keepers, a lack of clinical lead for the goal and the impact of the Atletico invaders.
Keeper contrast
One of the most striking subplots of Atletico’s victory over Anfield was the quality gap between the two goalkeepers present.
On the one hand, Atletico Madrid No. 1 was Jan Oblak, a world-class goalkeeper who produced a series of impressive saves to keep the Spanish side in the fray.
Jan Oblak saved more than 80 percent of the shots he encountered and was imperious against Liverpool
His manager further claimed that Oblak ‘rules the way about games [Lionel] Messi does for Barcelona ‘and based on his contribution at Anfield it is difficult to say otherwise.
He made nine saves from eleven shots at Anfield. Before the return game, he had scored 12 times in this season’s tournament, as he had no shot in the first meeting of the two teams in Madrid.
That 81.82 percent rescue rate was a big reason why Atletico looked like a defensive wall and Liverpool was annoyed by the number of missed opportunities.
On the other hand, Liverpool again screwed up a goalkeeper ‘s mistakes when Adrian Atletico gave a vital away goal, shortly after Liverpool made it 1-0.
A poor clearance, something Klopp could not cover after the loss, left his defenders exposed and substitute Marcos Llorente converted with confidence. He was less guilty for the second and third goals, but it was another regrettable night, underlining dependence on first choice goalkeeper Alisson.
On the other hand, Adrian’s shortcomings were revealed as he took Liverpool to key moments
Crossing woes
Liverpool’s tactics were clear: be aggressive, dominate possession and try to maximize cross attempts.
Atletico tried to pack the central areas, making it difficult for Mane and Salah to cut inside, as they often do, to test Oblak.
Felipe and Stefan Savic enjoyed the aerial duels, and both Atletico full-backs seemed to compel Liverpool to flank.
It was a gamble given the quality of delivery from both Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Both have improved immeasurably under Klopp and at Anfield, Alexander-Arnold became the player with the second highest number of crosses behind David Beckham on Tuesday in a single Champions League game.
The Reds’ right back produced 25 crosses, three behind Beckham’s total with Real Madrid versus Olympiacos at Bernabeu in 2005.
It was the largest number of crosses Liverpool managed to make in any game this season and, interestingly enough, it seems they cross over when thwarted on the edge of the box.
Trent Alexander-Arnold produced the highest number of crosses in one European game
In games where Liverpool dominate the crossing, they have won two, lost two and drawn one
Liverpool’s 62 cross against Atletico Madrid was the highest in any game this season
In the five games in which they have produced the most crosses this season, Liverpool have lost twice, drawn once and hit dramatic late wins over Aston Villa and West Ham.
Klopp’s team managed to score 62 crosses / corners against Atletico with 40 in the group match against Napoli – who finished 1-1 – second in the list.
The complicated connection game with Roberto Firmino was greatly reduced, and with so many players camping and defending deep within the area, Atletico was well stocked to dominate the aerial battle.
Atletico had clearly done their homework and they seem to be a tough match for Liverpool as the Spanish side eliminates the chance of a counter-attack.
While Liverpool is a short distance from the Premier League title, forcing the Reds into a barrage of crosses can be used as a blueprint that progresses.
Atletico forced Liverpool to work in large areas and they enjoyed the defensive air combat
Must be clinical
For an offensive trio as feared as Liverpool’s, Wednesday night turned into a nightmare of missed opportunities.
In this season’s Champions League, Atletico Madrid is in fourth place with the lowest expected goals against them at 8.42.
Only Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen – eliminated from the group stage – and Manchester City have had a nastier defense this season than Atletico in the league and so Liverpool knew opportunities had to be taken when they arrived.
In the first leg, Liverpool failed to score. Given the strength of their attack, it was a staggering return.
Sadio Mane went next to the goal with a bicycle kick and found it difficult against Atletico Madrid
Atletico has the fourth lowest expected goals against total in the 2019-20 Champions League
At Anfield they made Oblak work a lot harder, but the chances, one after the other, were wasted.
Robertson hit the crossbar, Manes’ bike kick went to the road, Salah caught up from the right in the early moments and didn’t quite hit the crossbar.
Even with the efforts on target, many, including a low ride from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, were at a comfortable height for Oblak to save and Klopp will complain about the rare lack of potency his attackers showed when looking back.
They controlled ball possession, set a record number of crosses for their 2019-20 season, had the odds and eventually lost in the night and on a total of the score.
Off nights like this are rare, but while they can get away with it against West Ham or Aston Villa, there are no shelters for bad shooting shows in the Champions League.
Atletico was only three of the 210 minutes behind in the entire score. If Liverpool had converted half the odds, they would have disappeared from view.
That lack of potential ultimately hurt Liverpool when they were caught in the counterattack
Impact of substitutes
This was significant and an area where Simeone Klopp became the boss.
While Klopp turned to Divock Origi, Takumi Minamino, James Milner and Fabinho, he got little response to take the game by the neck and drag Liverpool across the line.
Origi has previously impressed at times of high leverage, but the Belgian was silent when he entered.
For Atletico it was a different story, because it was the substitutes who overshot them.
Llorente got extra support in the extra time before former Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata delivered a famous victory in the 17th minute after his cross.
A bank contribution is vital in tight matches, and it was those in black and orange that emerged when it mattered the most.
Alvaro Morata (right) turned out to be an inspired replacement when he won the 3-2 victory
Klopp pitched to four players, including Takumi Minamino, but they failed to make an impact
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