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The football season had been over at least a week before, but football fanatics around the world have been waiting breathlessly for the 1st of June for a special reason – the UEFA Champions League final.
There are few club tournaments in the world as enticing as the Champions League in the world right now. There’s an inherent charm and romanticism about European club football’s premier tournament which has endeared itself in the hearts of the fans of the beautiful game. This season though, the excitement was a tad higher for a specific reason.
For the first time in over a decade, both finalists were from the Premier League and this had generated a lot of hype and attention in itself. There were a lot of debates and arguments as football fans around the globe were divided in their loyalties. Who would win the tie? Would it be Pochettino’s composure or Klopp’s charisma? 1st June had all the answered and the whole world waited in anticipation.
The managers themselves had their world cut out and named their best possible teams for the night. Klopp opted for Alisson in goal, with Robertson, Matip, van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold in defence. In the midfield, he placed Wijnaldum and Henderson on either side of Fabinho, while up front, the familiar trio of Mane, Firmino and Salah were back for their most important game of the season.
Pochettino continued with Lloris in goal and set up a back four of Trippier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen and Rose. Sissoko and Winks marshalled the midfield, while Dele Alli was seen in a No. 10 role. The Argentinean welcomed his prolific frontman Harry Kane back, who was joined by Eriksen and Son in attack.
Within the second minute of the game, Liverpool had the lead through Mohamed Salah, who scored from the spot. Tottenham rallied throughout the game and threw the kitchen sink at Liverpool, who held firm.
In the dying moments of the game, Origi doubled the lead and took the game away from Tottenham. It was a composed performance from an experienced Liverpool team that saw them end the season on a high.
Here are the five men who helped Klopp win the UEFA Champions League final and become the Champions of Europe.
#5 Divock Origi
With the game still tenderly poised at 1-0, Jurgen Klopp took a risk. He took off Firmino, his trusted Lieutenant and No.9, and put on Origi, the hero of the Barcelona triumph. Perhaps there was something that the German saw, a gap in the Tottenham back four that he felt his young Belgian could exploit. It turned out to be a masterstroke in the end.
Origi kept the pressure on the Tottenham back four, using his presence to cause a lot of problems. And his efforts bore fruit in the 87th minute. He received a ball from Matip inside the box and expertly slotted the ball into the far corner to give Liverpool a 2-0 lead. It eased the pressure on the Reds and helped them win the game.
#4 Alisson Becker
The Brazilian was perhaps the biggest telling factor in the span of a year in the Liverpool side. Liverpool lost the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League final owing to some despicable goalkeeping errors. Klopp spent the big bucks in the summer of 2018 to get Alisson and a year later, the Brazilian had played his part brilliantly on the same stage.
Alisson had a quiet first half, where he had a couple of average saves to make. However, Tottenham increased the pressure in the second half and came knocking at the door a couple of times early after the break. Yet, they were met with a defiant Brazilian who had no intentions of surrendering on the night. Alisson kept his cool and kept Tottenham at bay with ease.
At the dying moments of the game, before Origi had doubled the score, Tottenham came very close to scoring. However, Alisson made a string of exceptional saves, including an outstanding one from an Eriksen free kick and helped Liverpool stay in the game. His brilliance ultimately helped Liverpool win the game.
#3 Sadio Mane
It was the Senegalese’s speed and trickery that opened up Tottenham in the early stages of the game.
Mane received the ball at the edge of the penalty area and tried to weave in a cross for his attacking partners. His attempted cross hit Sissoko on the arm and won Liverpool the penalty. However, the Senegalese was not the one to rest on his laurels. Instead, he had a busy evening and always kept the Tottenham defence on their toes.
Mane’s speed caused a lot of problems for Pochettino's men and Liverpool often used long balls from the back to unleash their Senegalese speedster. The winger used his positioning well and was always a threat going forward. His movements off the ball gave the Liverpool midfield and defence a lot of options, while Mane himself was very clever in unleashing Robertson down the left.
The Senegalese worked extremely hard all night, dropping down to cover for Robertson and tracking back well. His fantastic performance ultimately became a huge factor in securing Liverpool's victory.
#2 Mohamed Salah
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Mohamed Salah had a nightmare a year ago against Real Madrid in the 2017/18 Champions League final. Liverpool was very much the better team in the game until the Egyptian picked up an injury after his collision with Sergio Ramos and had to leave the field. It was a heartbreaking moment for the man, but on Saturday, he finally had his redemption.
After Liverpool won the penalty in the very first minute, Salah stepped up. He hit a ferocious volley right in the centre of the goal, as Lloris dived to his left. Liverpool were 1-0 up in the second minute and it became the defining moment of the game. Tottenham never really recovered from that early setback and seemed lost in the game.
Salah himself had a mixed game apart from the goal. He threatened Rose with his speed and trickery but was wasteful with the ball at his feet a couple of times. However, the Egyptian had kept his head when it mattered and Liverpool largely rode on his cool penalty to ultimately win the game.
#1 Virgil van Dijk
A year ago, Virgil van Dijk watched in disbelief as Real Madrid dismantled his Liverpool side to shreds, in the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League final. The Dutchman had learnt his lesson on the night and a year later, in Madrid, used his experience and abilities very well to keep a stellar Tottenham attack at bay. Van Dijk was rock solid at the back, as Liverpool kept a clean sheet in the game and won the final in style.
The Dutchman had his work cut out for the night though, with Harry Kane back in the team. Van Dijk had to keep a close eye on the Englishman and also had to address the physicality of the England Skipper. But the Dutchman came out on top on both fronts and handled Kane with relative ease throughout the night.
He even tried to set up his front men with long balls from the deep and was the calm and composed presence that Liverpool required at the back on the night.
Virgil van Dijk stopped Tottenham’s robust attacking force on the night, was a leader at the back for Liverpool and won them the game. With such great performances, he is in a shoo-in for the Ballon d'Or title next year.
