Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona: 5 Tactics from Klopp that won the game

When Barcelona travelled to Anfield to face Liverpool on Tuesday, there was a sense of deja vu in the air. A year ago, Barcelona had been leading 4-1 in the home leg of the UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals, against Roma. They had traveled to Rome all but assured of progression to the Semifinals, but were in for a shocker. Barcelona were beaten 3-0 at the Stadio Olimpico and it was Roma who progressed to the Semifinals!

As such, Ernesto Valverde was wary of the consequences of overconfidence this year. He knew that nothing was granted on the night, even though his team had been brilliant all through this season. Barcelona had already won the La Liga, and they were also in the final of the Copa Del Rey. However, they were up against a Liverpool side who had the capacity to turn the tie around, even though Klopp was missing Salah and Firmino due to injuries.

In the end, their worst fears came true. Liverpool were rampant on the night and Barcelona never looked to be in the game. The home side took the lead in the 7th minute through Origi. They doubled the score through substitute Wijnaldum in the 54th minute, before the Dutchman made it 3-0 in the 56th minute. Origi struck again in the 79th minute to make it 4-0 and it was enough to see them through to the final.

While the players did the hard work on the pitch, Jurgen Klopp deserves all credit for masterminding a fantastic comeback win. Here are 5 tactics from the German Manager that won Liverpool the game

#5 Team Selection

Liverpool v Barcelona - UEFA Champions League Semi Final: Second Leg

Klopp was crippled with injuries before the start of the game. Firmino had already been ruled out of the game when Salah hurt himself against Newcastle in the weekend. The Egyptian has been crucial to Liverpool’s ambitions this season and the news that he would have to sit out this tie put Liverpool in the backfoot.

However, the German Manager reacted brilliantly. He opted for Origi, who had scored a crucial winner in the weekend, to spearhead the attack and put his faith on Shaqiri to start in the Salah role. Both players played very well, with Origi scoring twice and Shaqiri picking up an assist.

Klopp’s midfield selection was also fantastic. The combination of Fabinho, Milner and Henderson ensured that Barcelona could never gain control of the game.

#4 Substitutions

In the first half, despite taking the early lead, Liverpool failed to take full control of the game. The Premier League side had successfully pushed Barcelona against the wall but had not been able to score the goals that were needed on the night. Klopp realised that Liverpool needed a drive from the midfield that would see his team through and he made a spectacular change in the break.

With Andy Robertson picking up a slight niggle in the first half, Klopp replaced him with Wijnaldum and shifted Milner to the left back role. Because Robertson was integral to the way Liverpool play, this was a move that could have backfired. Klopp showed a lot of courage to attempt such a change in tactics and his courage soon bore fruit.

Wijnaldum scored two quickfire goals in the second half and took the game away from Barcelona. He gave Liverpool the upper edge and the momentum needed to go for the kill. The German also brought on Gomez and Sturridge to provide Liverpool stability during the later stages.

It was Klopp’s wise substitutions that ultimately helped Liverpool win the game.

#3 Neutralizing Lionel Messi

The first leg had been a learning experience for Jurgen Klopp, who is a self-admitted Messi fan. The German watched from the sidelines as his team were taken apart by a viscous Lionel Messi. Klopp saw that his team had no answers for the brilliant Barcelona skipper and even admitted his mistake in the post-match reactions. However, he had clearly studied his nemesis and hatched a plot.

At Anfield, Klopp did not allow Messi any room or time on the ball to have an impact. Whereas in Camp Nou the German had shown too much respect to the Argentinean, at home, he resorted to crowding Messi up. Every time the Barcelona Skipper had the ball at his feet, Milner and Fabinho were on his shoulders. Every time Messi ventured into the box, van Dijk kept a close watch on the Barcelona No. 10.

The Argentinean went on to have a really quiet night on the field and this crippled Barcelona. By stopping Lionel Messi, Jurgen Klopp managed to get the better of Barcelona.

#2 Pressing Football

One of the main characteristics of this Liverpool side is their pressing around the park. Klopp’s boys do not allow their opponents a moment of respite. They combine power and speed with the right dose of tenacity and press their opponents into submission. And they have the ability to do it throughout the 90 minutes.

Before the Barcelona game, Liverpool had to fight against Newcastle over the weekend for three points. It had been a draining affair and there were questions whether the team would be able to have the same intensity against Barcelona. But Klopp is a very demanding manager and pretty soon, it was clear that Liverpool would not change their playing style.

Klopp’s boys were again tireless on the night. The final statistics showed that the Liverpool team had run at least 8 km more than the Barcelona team. Liverpool had more desire and more fight about them. It seemed that they wanted the ball more and kudos to Klopp for setting his team out to play this way. Because it was their intensity and pressing that won them the game.

#1 Relentless attacking Intent

When you are 3-0 down at the start of the second leg against one of the best teams in the world, you can be forgiven for being a tiny bit demoralized. Liverpool had a mountain to climb on the night and against a Barcelona team who had given them a lesson in football in the first leg, it already looked like mission impossible.

But Klopp had instilled a sense of belief in his men on the night. The 11 who went out to play had a sense of invincibility about them. They knew that to defeat Barcelona, they had to be relentless in attack and that was exactly how they started the game.

The result was instantaneous. Liverpool were 1-0 up in the 7th minute. But from then on, they found it hard to break down Barcelona. Yet, they continued to knock at the door, they continued to persevere. Klopp sent in wave after wave of attack and replenished his team cleverly.

In the end, his tactics bore fruit. Liverpool grew in confidence with each attacking move and scored 4 on the night. It was Klopp’s decision to stick to his usual attacking tactics that ultimately won his team the game.