Fuming! Liverpool fans are mad at lack of precision in one key area
Liverpool fans are mad with a lack of precision after Atletico Madrid beat them 1-0 in the Champions League last 16 first leg.
The Reds were strangely quiet going forward and failed to register a single shot on target as the Spaniards choked out the space and limited the quality of the delivery.
Jurgen Klopp can normally rely on Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold to whip in excellent balls from wide positions, as well as from set-pieces. But it just wasn’t working for Liverpool and that had fans fuming.
Alexander-Arnold kept on hitting the first man from corners, and while the plan is to hit them low and hard past that defender, this time the right-back struggled and that lack of precision caused Liverpool no end of problems.
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It wasn’t just the full-backs who were sloppy. Mohamed Salah headed over a brilliant Joe Gomez cross from eight yards after finding himself unmarked, while Jordan Henderson‘s volley sailed just wide of Jan Oblak‘s post.
There was little bite from midfield, who played their role in a function and less-than-exciting manner, even if Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum tried to get forward to create space among the two defensive banks of four.
But at the end of it all, Diego Simeone‘s side are perfectly geared towards seeing out a tight 1-0 lead in important games. Once that goal went in during the first five minutes, it was always going to be an uphill struggle.
Robertson and Alexander-Arnold tried to be the main creative outlets by providing width and attacking intent, but their inconsistent performance and a lack of precision in key areas let Liverpool down and left the fans fuming at their TV sets.
Sadio Mane a headless chicken! Read our player ratings from the Atletico game here. dark. Next
Klopp has four more Premier League games to navigate before a the Reds have a second crack at their dogged opposition. With a roaring Anfield behind them, Robbo and Trent will have no excuses this time.