Jurgen Klopp, who has been undoubtedly the best coach in the world over the last two or so years, was disappointed by how the Rojiblancos took on them at Anfield. Klopp cursed the day and said, “I don’t understand with the quality they have the football they play. They could play proper football.” The former Dortmund coach is not one to complain after every game, let alone blame his players. But on this occasion, he felt that Liverpool deserved to go through.
Liverpool Eliminated
The Champions League holders were knocked out of the competition by perennial quarter-finalists Atletico Madrid. They were beaten home and away by the Spanish side even after bossing both games for long periods. With the form the holders were in before this game, no one could have written them off despite losing 1-0 in Spain. Atletico came into this game with a 1-0 advantage. But Liverpool were back to their best and took their lead through Wijnaldum.
The match went into extra time, and Firmino scored to make it 2-0. But substitute Llorente breathed life into the Atletico side by scoring three minutes later. Llorente composed himself and scored again to make the score 2-2. The former Chelsea striker made it 2-3 by scoring in the 119th minute. The truth is that Adrian was at fault for both goals, with even his captain Virgil van Dijk blaming him afterwards.
Diego Simeone’s Negative Style
Diego has long been known as the epitome of defensive football; of course, if we forget the former maestro Jose Mourinho who seems to have lost his mojo. And Klopp knew that his counterpart would impose this style at Anfield. The Rojiblancos coach will have told his team to sit back, let their opponents enjoy possession, but defend well and wait for an opportunity to counter-attack and score. And this is exactly what they did. Good luck to Atletico as they progress to the quarter-finals.