The space behind Alexander-Arnold
He’s become one of those sawmills that moves on social media every time Liverpool concede a goal, or every time he’s seen under pressure: Trent Alexander-Arnold can’t defend; can be achieved. And, worrying for Liverpool before Saturday, the exhibition A in the case against him is the first leg of the quarter-finals last season against Real Madrid, when Vinícius Júnior repeatedly put himself behind him, giving rise to first two goals.
Vinicius, as he showed against Chelsea, is good at exploiting this space at the top of the band but despite acknowledging that Alexander-Arnold is not the most skilled in one-on-one fights (there was a another time, at the beginning of that quarter-final). , when Ferland Mendy passed in front of him with bewildering ease), the broader subject is not really Alexander-Arnold.
Quick guide
The road to Paris
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Liverpool
Group B: Maximum points and few scares, as the set of Jurgen Klopp was confirmed at the head of the group with two days left. The 5-1 victory over Porto in their second match highlighted the gap and they finished 11 points ahead of second-placed Atlético de Madrid. An impromptu team beat Milan 2-1 at the San Siro in the last game.
Round of 16: Inter 0-2 Liverpool; Liverpool 0-1 Inter (Liverpool 2-1 overall victory). The final goals of Salah and Firmino got a famous victory and Inter could not recover enough at Anfield.
Quarterfinals: Benfica 1-3 Liverpool; Liverpool 3-3 Benfica (Liverpool overall 6-4 victory). Benfica came back late in the return leg, but Liverpool returned to work away from home.
Semifinal: Liverpool 2-0 Villarreal; Villarreal 2-3 Liverpool (Liverpool 5-2 overall victory). Halfway through the Ceramics Stadium the tie was unexpectedly tied. But Liverpool ignited the fire in the second half with goals from Fabinho, Diaz and Mané.
Real Madrid
Group D: The Moldovan FC Sheriff overcame the clash of the group stage by beating Real 2-1 at the Bernabeu. But Real won all other matches, including both against Inter and a 5-0 home win over Shakhtar Donetsk.
Round of 16: PSG 1-0 Real Madrid; Real Madrid 3-1 PSG (victory of Real 3-2 overall). A hat-trick from Benzema in the second half. An epic return when all seemed lost. And so it began.
Quarterfinals: Chelsea 1-3 Real Madrid; Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea aet (victory of Real 5-4 overall). Benzema hat-trick in the first leg. Chelsea were going through 10 minutes of normal time to play the return match, but Rodrygo and then Benzema sent off the reigning champions.
Semifinal: Man City 4-3 Real Madrid; Real Madrid 3-1 Man City aet (victory of Real 6-5 overall). A tie for centuries. City won 3-1 at the Etihad and 1-0 at the Bernabeu, but Real came back both times. Two impressive goals from Rodrygo in the end brought the tie to extra time and Benzema’s penalty sealed what seemed inevitable at the time.
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Its function is to move forward. He is a very gifted cruiser, has 12 assists in the league this season and has had a great time with Mohamed Salah. To do that, you have to play high. This risk is not mitigated by the fact that he gets more tangled or sinks more, but by the Liverpool press, which should prevent rivals from measuring passes in the space behind the defense, which is always the vulnerability of computers operating on a high line.
The two goals from last season came from passes by Toni Kroos, who each time had time to calibrate. This is what Liverpool should avoid. Maybe Kroos or Luka Modric can put a 50-yard pass perfectly on Vinicius ’path under pressure, but that’s essentially inevitable; the point is to make it as difficult as possible. Last season the Liverpool press was much less efficient than it is now. Although the midfielder three in that match in Madrid looks relatively strong – Fabinho flanked by Naby Keita and Gini Wijnaldum – his starting positions were affected by the lack of confidence in the central defensive pair of Nat Phillips and Ozan Kabak , which in turn probably had an impact on Alexander-Arnold.
Vinícius Júnior celebrates this after scoring one of his two goals against Real Madrid against Liverpool in the first leg of the quarter-finals of last season’s Champions League. Photography: Gabriel Bouys / AFP / Getty Images
The importance of Van Dijk
Last Sunday was surprising how often the Wolves got behind Liverpool’s defensive line, especially in the first half. Up to a point, this is an inherent risk to how Liverpool play, but that was extreme. Ibrahima Konaté may have discovered himself after his first mistake, but the biggest problem is Van Dijk, who is so good at judging how far the line should be and when he should go up. He was an unused substitute in the last two league games after being sent off after 90 minutes of the FA Cup final for a hamstring puncture and is supposed to be fit enough to start. Liverpool need him.
Can Madrid face Liverpool’s physique?
It’s always a surprise when a self-magnifying cliché of English football turns out to be true. Two seasons ago, when Manchester City beat Madrid in the round of 16 of the Champions League, it was amazing how Madrid was shaken by the City press. These foreigners really didn’t like it. Madrid have developed since then and will not be caught unawares again, but even so, that midfield of Modric, Kroos and Casemiro – together with 98 years – could be physically overwhelmed.
The 4-0 defeat at home to Barcelona and the first hour of the match at the Etihad this season show how susceptible Madrid can be to the press. Then, perhaps, there is an argument for Carlo Ancelotti to launch Eduardo Camavinga, probably in place of Kroos, given what he would add in terms of energy. But Kroos was instrumental in Madrid’s win over Liverpool last season, and Camavinga has been very effective off the bench in the knockout stages. As in Chelsea, Federico Valverde may be used in a more withdrawn role on the right.
Chances are there will be a period in the game when Liverpool’s greater physicality will give them an advantage. Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and City had these spells. What is essential is that they take advantage of it.
Eduardo Camavinga rises to the sky against Levante. He would add energy to Real Madrid if he became a starter. Photography: Denis Doyle / Getty Images
The sides of Madrid
Memories of last season will make Liverpool wary of the threat of Mendy moving to the left, but this season he has only three goals in the league and will probably devote himself heavily to stopping Salah, although he could be exposed. if Vinicius stays high. in a chicken game with Alexander-Arnold.
On the other hand, Dani Carvajal could be a real opportunity for Liverpool. He looks like a 30-year-old, slow on the turn, and while it’s not a shame to be exposed by Kylian Mbappé, he’s also fought Riyad Mahrez and Chelsea’s Timo Werner / Marcos Alonso axis. It is likely that Luis Díaz will start on the left side of Liverpool, but there must be a temptation for Jürgen Klopp to put Sadio Mané in Carvajal.
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The protocol of chaos
Madrid’s progress in the knockout rounds has largely defied logic. They overcame for a long time, but then, thanks to the brilliance of Karim Benzema, Thibaut Courtois and Modric, they were ruthless when they were able to break the game with the control of the rival. They have won the last five Champions League games by a total of 14-10. They have prospered with disorder. Liverpool may have moved away from the heavy metal football that used to characterize Klopp’s teams, but they are still better equipped to handle the chaos than the vast majority of superclubs.