Liverpool face bleak reality after uninspiring attempt at Real Madrid comeback
Even Jurgen Klopp, with his hands clasped almost permanently behind his back, looked subdued.
Even Jurgen Klopp had the look of a man who did not believe a miracle was ever going to materialise. Liverpool did not exactly go out of the Champions League with a whimper but nor did they give the 14-times European champions any sort of a scare.
Despite slipping to another Real Madrid defeat thanks to Karim Benzema’s late goal, it was not the worst Liverpool performance, but a distinct lack of intensity meant Los Blancos were able to qualify pretty much on auto-pilot after that 5-2 win at Anfield.
There was no anguish, no tears, no one was inconsolable, there was just a collection of Liverpool players who knew, deep down, that the game was up after the hammering on Merseyside. At least they had a bit of a crack at a team that has given them so much trouble in recent times.
Klopp, of course, was forced to be adventurous, not that he ever needs much forcing. The attacking formation was fluid, to say the least, with each of the four forwards seeming to have smoothing of a roaming brief.
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It certainly raised a Carlo Ancelotti eyebrow and before he had time to adjust his game plan, Liverpool should have been ahead but Darwin Nunez, having been sent clear by Mohamed Salah, gave Thibaut Courtois an easy time from 10 yards out. The Uruguayan is clearly settling into life with Liverpool but his conversion rate is still something he will be looking to improve.
This night in Madrid was all about conversion rates - Liverpool needed to convert as many opportunities as possible, simple as that. But they were nowhere near ruthless enough in the final third and Diogo Jota followed the Nunez miss with a wildly miskicked volley from prime position.
Their faint hopes were kept alive by some equally shoddy attacking work in Liverpool’s penalty area, notably from Benzema, of all people. Liverpool were also helped by the crossbar and Alisson’s fingertips as Eduardo Camavinga and Luka Modric went close from distance.
Modric really is a marvel. The Croatian midfielder is actually a few months older than James Milner, who captained Klopp’s side in the Santiago Bernabeu, but it’s fair to say the levels of their influence on the midfield battle were very different. Not that Milner did not have a decent game but he was mainly trying to firefight as Real Madrid threatened to settle matters before half-time.
Alisson, who pulled off a brilliant block to deny Vincius Junior, was certainly the busier of the two keepers but Courtois was extended to full stretch by a nice Nunez hit just after the half-hour mark. And the Belgian keeper also had to beat away a meaty effort from Cody Gakpo as Liverpool ended the opening period with some momentum.
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Jurgen Klopp must devote his attention to the top-four race after an uninspiring performance at the Santiago Bernabeu (Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)But they needed more than momentum, they needed that miracle, and, in truth, we never really saw a glimmer of hope that it might arrive. If anything, Real were comfortably the more threatening after the restart with Federico Valverde missing two great chances without even testing Alisson and Benzema doing likewise.
Klopp made changes and started to get a little more animated but those on the field began to wear the look of two teams going through formalities until Vinicius came upon with a fortunate assist to allow Benzema to roll home yet another goal against an English club.
And that was that. Off came Benzema, off came Modric. Job done. Real Madrid march on and all that is left for Klopp is to try and qualify for this competition again. Not the season he wanted.
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