Two things Klopp got right and one he got wrong as Liverpool progress past Inter

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Liverpool secured their spot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League following a 1-0 loss to Inter Milan on Tuesday night.

The Reds took a two-goal advantage into the second leg of the tie after their impressive victory at the San Siro last month.

But it was a nervous 28 minutes for Liverpool fans after Lautaro Martinez rifled a fierce strike into the top corner from 25 yards out.

However, Inter had the momentum for merely a minute after former Arsenal star was sent off following a second yellow card.

Jurgen Klopp will be thrilled with his side progressing into the next round and keeping their hopes of a historic quadruple alive.

But what did the former Borussia Dortmund boss get right against Inter?

Things Klopp got right

First leg lesson learned

In the first leg of this tie, Inter had a lot of joy down the left and targeting Trent Alexander-Arnold and creating overloads on that side.

However, the inclusion of Curtis Jones as a right-sided central midfielder prevented that from being a threat this time around.

The Englishman naturally drifted out into that right channel and was great at tracking the forward charges of Ivan Perisic from defence, whilst also showing a willingness to slot into right-back when Alexander-Arnold bombed forward to make use of his attacking attributes.

Cool, composed Thiago

With Liverpool only needing to avoid a two-goal defeat, it was important for the Reds to not get carried away with the occasion and being rash and hasty in possession – and Thiago Alcantara prevented that from being the case.

The Spaniard’s inclusion over the likes of Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita, Harvey Elliott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was a smart decision from Klopp that ensured his side avoided a nervy 90 minutes.

Thiago dictated the tempo of the match in the centre of the park, knowing when to push on and take risks in possession but also showing a willingness to cut back and slow things down when there was the chance that the game could open up.

Liverpool looked in no real danger against Simone Inzaghi’s side, and Thiago played a major role in that.

Things Klopp got wrong

Complacent front three

Although Liverpool didn’t need to win, the performance of their front three left a lot to be desired.

The trio were reluctant to be creative in the final third and often found themselves dropping into midfield in order to get on the ball rather than using their pace to get in behind and stretch the Serie A outfit.

Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah are all capable of causing serious damage to any team left in the Champions League, but they seemed somewhat complacent with pressing high, winning back the ball and then playing it backwards.

Salah did hit the post on two occasions and he will certainly have been disappointed not to add to his brilliant goal-scoring record in this competition on the night.

Potentially dropping Luis Diaz for the match was a mistake by Klopp given that the Colombia international is a very straightforward, attacking player and thus he may not have been content with playing a ‘safe’ game for 90 minutes.

  • Liverpool FC
  • Inter Milan FC
  • Jurgen Klopp
  • Champions League

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