It all started out like a fairy tale, only to have it end like a nightmare. In a game that seemed to have everything from wonder strikes to goalie gaffes, in the end, Real Madrid were just too good for Liverpool. That it happened at Anfield will sting even more because the atmosphere was immense as always.
There are still those few optimists that will cling to some sort of epic comeback in the second leg but the rot in the season appears too great in my opinion. The fact that 37-year-old Luka Modric was able to burst forward through the middle of the field time after time is really all that needs to be said at this point, both for his immense legacy and the state of things at Liverpool.
More than anything else, the fact that the second half of the game was so one-sided and that Liverpool went out with a whimper are what is most disappointing and alarming. Two major points come out of this: Jurgen Klopp must be given funds to rebuild this squad and secondly, it is time to be more ruthless in rebuilding this team.
The first point very quickly: Klopp has given so much to this club that short of the team being relegated and frankly even then, he deserves the chance to start a fresh cycle with the team. He came in as the person to rebuild the team from so many mediocre seasons and has guided them to a 6-year run that aside from Man City’s obvious financial shenanigans would have won them multiple league titles in addition to all the other trophies over that span. He’s been everything and more that a fan could ask for, the beating heart of a fanbase that demands excellence but even more, requires honest passion.
As I’ve written about in the past, he’s as close to Alex Ferguson as we’ll see from a Liverpool perspective in that players desire to play under him, fans revere and covet him and even opponents go out of their way to speak with him. Klopp has been at the centre of restoring Liverpool to the dominant force in Europe they crave. Besides, name any other manager who would be able to immediately come into this setup and fix the problems here. It’s far deeper than a coaching issue.
With FSG stating that they were no longer selling the club, they must bring some sort of additional funding group in to help close the gap in talent. A gap that is unfortunately very obvious and can be read as a sign of declining ability after so many races run from the players on the pitch.
One of Klopp’s greatest gifts is his empathy, and his ability to foster a sense of community within the team and the entire city. It will be needed more than ever now as the players who it would appear need to be let go of or reduced in the role are some of the most important and vital in the current run of the squad. It’s easy as a fan to just demand a player be thrown away because we are just watching a game. But for each of these players, their literal life has been this game. It is a cliche to say, but players themselves are usually the last to know when they’ve run their final race for that self-belief is required to succeed. That unfortunate task instead falls to management to be the arbiter of changing tides. Klopp has been guilty like so many before him of being too loyal to some players but this season and especially this summer, he must look to both the future as well as the present.
The three names that are the elephants in this room are Hendo, Virgil and Trent. All three have been absolute legends for the club, having been the beating hearts of the team and led by example on and off the pitch. While I don’t think Klopp could ever just cast them aside, as happens at far too many clubs after one down year, this season has shown that for at least the two elder players, they cannot be counted on as the spine of the team any more.
For Hendo, it’s a matter of having run so much that he no longer possesses the game-in, game-out stamina to be at the heart of the midfield. He always gives his best effort but it was clear by the beginning of the second half against Madrid that he was gassed. That Liverpool replaced him with an even older player in Milner is all that needs to be said about the required rebuild in the engine room. Next season Hendo should be playing in the Milner role, the elder statesman who can help ease a game down in the later stages, not the player who is the fulcrum of the press and attack.
Virgil is more of a difficult one. Where he once was an absolute colossus in the back, for the last few seasons there seems to be a growing unease at times. It could be that he has indeed lost a step ever since that devastating injury but the high line that Liverpool continue to play just doesn’t suit him as it once did. Losing Konate was an even bigger blow than initially realized because he was clearly beginning to be groomed as the long-term partner and eventual replacement for big Virg someday. Neither Gomez or Matip, who have also been worthy servants to the team, unfortunately, have been at nearly the needed level and the amount of chances and goals conceded this season has been stunning. What has to be considered now is how long Virgil remains the must-start at the back as Liverpool almost certainly need a refresh of central defenders.
Trent’s problem is the age old one. He remains one of the greatest passers of the ball I have ever seen and his attacking play is world-class to the point that Liverpool will not be able to replace him. Yet, he does not do the dirty work in defence and his frequent runs forward leave that side too often exposed. It’s a common refrain now but it might be time to seriously consider trying him at a new position, one further up the pitch where his focus can be more clearly on creating chances. To be honest, the positions he already takes up for the squad are essentially that of an attacking wing or midfielder but that often means one of the midfield has to drop into coverage and the team just doesn’t have the legs for it this season.
These are the sort of problems that highlight a team that has been together for a long time and has shown its wear and tear. In many ways, Liverpool are beginning to remind me more and more of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.
In brief, the Warriors rose to dominance by playing an attack-minded, free-flowing, shooter-happy style that at first left them beaten down by their opponents. Eventually, their talent and transcendent ability won out and they took home 3 titles in a 4-year span. Then, a mix of age, some player chemistry problems and the rise of other teams knocked them down the ladder for a few seasons. Rather than panic and get rid of everyone, they infused more money and youth into the squad, keeping the same coaching staff and infrastructure intact and not compromising their ideals. It led them to reclaim a 4th title this past season.
4th ironically enough now becomes the only goal for the rest of the season. For as poorly as Liverpool have played this year, they remarkably remain within striking distance of salvaging a 4th place finish. They have shown a willingness to summon something close to their best on occasions but to grab that coveted spot at season’s end they must lock things up and win dirty and gritty. The teams they are chasing are a mix of up-and-coming squads that have not shown the staying power to really look locked in or likewise aging squads with up-and-down track records of their own.
Now obviously, basketball is far different from football but to me, the general philosophy of trying to rebuild by infusing more money and youth while keeping the fundamental structures of the team together is the point. While no one player is as singularly great as say Steph Curry is, Liverpool still possess several world-class players in Salah, Trent’s attacking play and Alisson as well as wealth of up-and-coming young guns that can grow into their games further.
Against Madrid, they were simply not good enough and it doesn’t look like they’ll be able to reach that needed level as things stand. What must happen though is to find a way to renew the core and spine of the squad, which means it’s time to really ask the tough questions and look in the mirror. They might not like what they see, but if they can be honest about it, it’ll be much easier than continuing to desperately cling to the past.
