Trying to get Liverpool fans to criticize Jurgen Klopp is a task akin to getting blood from a stone, and for very good reason.
Over the course of eight-and-a-half years at the helm, the German dragged the Reds from the doldrums to claiming every trophy available and, at some point between 2019 and 2020, to arguably the best team in the world
He also established a strong emotional bond with a group of supporters who have always asked their manager.
Still, for all he achieved, if there’s one blemish on Klopp’s book that even the most ardent Kopite couldn’t ignore, it’s surely his record against Real Madrid. In six meetings with the League giants during their time at Anfield, Liverpool failed to win a game, drawing one and losing the other five. And the most unpleasant aspect of this meager return is surely that two of those losses came Champions League ends
This record means it is now 15 years since Liverpool last beat Real Madrid, who reached the last 16 of the Champions League during Rafael Benitez’s tenure. Then, even after losing the first leg 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu, Real arrived on Merseyside optimistic about their prospects of reaching the next round: Spanish sports daily, MARCinfamously stamped the headline ‘This Is Anfield. And what?’ (This Is Anfield. And What?) on its cover.
Madrid ended up being beaten 4-0.
Unfortunately for Liverpool, Madrid have since avoided underestimating their opponents in this way, although Klopp did his best to try and trick them into doing so.
As Thomas Tuchel once said of his compatriot: “You know Klopp is the master of being the underdog. He can talk you into being the underdog against Villarreal and against Benfica and it’s a miracle they even draw against them.”
But in the Final of the Champions League 2022 Between these two clubs, Madrid were able to provide the perfect counterpoint to this motivational tactic: having the confidence to reject the underdog tag while still being able to play like one.
Liverpool rained down 24 shots on goal in Paris, with nine of them forcing saves from the impenetrable Thibaut Courtois. Madrid, on the other hand, have only managed four attempts, and have taken the trophy thanks to the only one they have hit.
Still, Europe’s most successful team is far from one-dimensional, and their dominance of this rivalry owes much to an ability to find different ways to inflict defeat on Liverpool depending on the circumstances.
Take, for example, the 2018 final in Kiev, in which a vastly superior and more experienced Madrid underlined the chasm of quality and newness simply by playing Klopp’s gegenpress with ease.
And indeed, most of Madrid’s victories in the intervening years have followed this pattern, rather than the rope-to-dope approach that Ancelotti relied on in 2022.
So clearly something had to change Liverpool to finally get his bogey side one and, while no fan would have picked Klopp’s exit, there’s every chance Arne Slot’s arrival could prove decisive.
The Dutchman has a good early chance to go where his predecessor couldn’t at Anfield on Wednesday, especially as his side are in excellent form. Sunday’s 3-2 win against Southampton taking them eight points clear at the top of the Premier League, and an injured Madrid decidedly not.
Also, he’s already hinted that he might approach these types of games in a totally different way, as seems necessary. For starters, Liverpool won’t be as reliant on Madrid falling into their pressing traps, as Slot’s use of this tactic is far less important.
Secondly, it also seems that the new manager is a bit more comfortable with the idea of ​​his team going in as favourites. In October, he was asked if his players could get carried away with his lofty position at the head of the Premier Leaguehe simply replied: “We’re Liverpool, the players here are used to being at the top of the table.”
Of course, as positive as Slot’s differences may be, he will do well to surpass the record of a manager who reached four European finals in his eight-and-a-half years at Liverpool. But victory over the 15-time Champions League winners would certainly be a good start in that regard and end a hoodoo that ensured Klopp’s trophy return was not what it could have been.
