Liverpool have come back from worse situations than this and fluking two goals isn’t unheard of, however the odds weren’t in their favour given how their season has gone.
Jürgen Klopp made one change to the team that beat Aston Villa on Saturday, replacing Diogo Jota with Sadio Mané in Liverpool’s usual 4-3-3 formation.
Zinedine Zidane matched Liverpool’s shape and made one change too after Lucas Vazquez picked up an injury in Real Madrid’s El Clasico victory over Barcelona, meaning Federico Valverde came in at right-back – the sole change from the previous leg.
In need of goals, Liverpool started the match pressing high, making it difficult for Real to play out and winning the ball in their half.
In order to help Madrid play out, Toni Kroos would drop back next to Casemiro, meaning Roberto Firmino couldn’t cover both men. Georginio Wijnaldum was pulled forward to pick up Kroos, however this left space on the left flank for either Ferland Mendy or Vinicius Junior to pick up the ball and push forward. It was another example of Liverpool’s midfield being asked to cover too much ground defensively, which in turn asks more of the full-backs to help cover.
Likewise Real would attempt to press in a 4-4-2, with Luka Modric pushing up alongside Karim Benzema. This was ineffective though as Fabinho would drop back into the backline, allowing Liverpool’s centre-backs to spread out. Three-against-two, Real were unable to cover all of Liverpool’s makeshift back three and so the Reds had space to play out.
Pressing in a 4-4-2 meant Real had only two men left in midfield. Casemiro and Kroos would pick up James Milner and Wijnaldum, meaning Roberto Firmino was able to find space dropping off into midfield to pick up the ball.
With their pressing not working, Real began to drop off into a 4-5-1 to sit back and protect their lead. Even early on Marco Asensio was paying close attention to the runs of Andy Robertson, ensuring he and Sadio Mané were unable to double up on Valverde, while Casemiro would drop into the backline to help cover, meaning Madrid were well-stocked in defence when Liverpool attacked.
Dropping back into a 4-5-1 made it easier for Liverpool to play out though, and they had some success by getting Ozan Kabak and Nathaniel Phillips to push forward on the ball, drawing Modric or Kroos out to stop them advancing and thus opening up space in midfield.
This was rare though, with Phillips and Kabak typically moving the ball on rather than drawing Madrid out. Liverpool were left trying to break down a solid defensive block – something that isn’t exactly their forte.
With half an hour left to save their Champions League campaign, Klopp made a double substitution. Milner was excellent at pressing Real but isn’t much use breaking down a defensive block and so was replaced by Thiago Alcântara, while Kabak was brought off for Diogo Jota. This saw Fabinho drop back into defence and Liverpool change to a 4-2-3-1, with Jota on the left, Mané switching over to the right and Mohamed Salah through the middle. Klopp then later swapped Firmino and Mané for Xherdan Shaqiri and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Liverpool’s problem remained the same though: Real were holding steady in defence and Liverpool struggled to carve out chances.
Real would try to counter down the left, getting Vinicius running in behind Trent Alexander-Arnold against the slow Phillips, however the Brazilian frequently made poor choices in possession, meaning they were unable to punish Liverpool for pushing forward. If the quick attack wasn’t on, Real frequently just looked to maintain possession for a bit, wasting time and making Liverpool chase them.
Liverpool created some good chances but in truth Real’s progression never looked in doubt. Zidane’s success is frequently looked down upon however he’s a flexible coach who always seems to have an idea to outsmart the opposition. The Frenchman has made most of the more highly rated coaches he’s come up against look stupid at some point.
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