Champions League Semi Final: Liverpool - FC Barcelona 4-3 agg.

[Barcilliant]

Klopp wouldn't go to Barcelona. He chooses his clubs very specifically. He chooses clubs where he feels he can use his own "unique" talents to improve his club. He is exceptional at motivating hard working average players to a level that would be considered beyond them. For example, Origi, Wijnaldum, Milner, Henderson etc. Barcelona's philosophy is different. They buy players that are already at a very high level. He also goes to clubs where he knows he is given the time to develop players. Klopp's first 2 years were very average and actually didn't show much change from the previous manager. The results were almost identical. It's only in the end of 2017 where things started to pick up. He won't be given that time at Barcelona. Basically he attempts to resurrect "sleeping giants". All of this is in his book.

There's a reason he rejected Man Utd, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Spot on 100%. Klopp is a great manager but he needs time and a certain club culture to succeed. He feeds off emotions and passion too and that's how he gets the best out of his players. If he wanted to come to Barca I'm sure it would have happened.

 

[Barcilliant]

Klopp at Barca? No fucking way. I don't like his style of 100mph, low technique football, I don't care if he wins everything or how successful he is with it, it's not how Barca should play.

His Dortmund side had alot of technique. His current Liverpool side are limited technically. However they make up for it in other areas.

 

[Barcilliant]

BTW this this thread should be a sticky and should be sent to the club so they can see how the fans really feel.

Cl wise we are ending up like Milan. Too many old players, bo proper foundation for a transition, bad managers, living off old glories etc.

 

[Andrew M]

BTW this this thread should be a sticky and should be sent to the club so they can see how the fans really feel.

Cl wise we are ending up like Milan. Too many old players, bo proper foundation for a transition, bad managers, living off old glories etc.

It's not quite that bad. Milan's main problem has always been in Serie a

 

[Cruyffgeist]

Klopp will never leave Liverpool, he will 100% retire there. I can absolutely guarantee it, the man himself said he wants to retire early to explore the world. He'll go for glory with this team during the upcoming decade until he feels like quitting managing altogether.

 

[FinBarcelonafan]

I'm not a Barca fan (I always loved their teams though) and rarely watch them in La Liga so I'm not an expert on your players, but I'm not accepting that you have only 3 technically good players. Off the top of my head, Pique, Rakitic, Alba, Coutinho and Suarez are all technical players. They are certainly technically better than Henderson, Milner, Origi, Wijnaldum and Shaqiri. The difference is that Liverpool's players are well drilled in the way they play and would run through brick walls for Klopp. That willingness to work hard off the ball is something Pep's great sides had and it's so important at the top level. It's something Barcelona need to find again to be successful in Europe again. I would say a new manager is needed, but also new players - young, talented ones who want to work hard and win things.

Well said. We have the technical skill, but it's not enough itself.

 

[Centauri B]

I'm not a Barca fan (I always loved their teams though) and rarely watch them in La Liga so I'm not an expert on your players, but I'm not accepting that you have only 3 technically good players. Off the top of my head, Pique, Rakitic, Alba, Coutinho and Suarez are all technical players. They are certainly technically better than Henderson, Milner, Origi, Wijnaldum and Shaqiri. The difference is that Liverpool's players are well drilled in the way they play and would run through brick walls for Klopp. That willingness to work hard off the ball is something Pep's great sides had and it's so important at the top level. It's something Barcelona need to find again to be successful in Europe again. I would say a new manager is needed, but also new players - young, talented ones who want to work hard and win things.

Pique is no better technically than VVD. How on earth is Alba a technical player? He is a tenacious and fast runner, like all good fullbacks. Coutinho is technically okay, but too much of a one-trick pony. Suarez is average in terms of technique. Rakitic, again average. I am amazed that people think that just about anyone who wears the Blaugrana is a "technical player".

 

[West Saxon]

Pique is no better technically than VVD. How on earth is Alba a technical player? He is a tenacious and fast runner, like all good fullbacks. Coutinho is technically okay, but too much of a one-trick pony. Suarez is average in terms of technique. Rakitic, again average. I am amazed that people think that just about anyone who wears the Blaugrana is a "technical player".

Alba is a good footballer and certainly better on the ball than Robertson. Coutinho is more than technically "okay", he was one of the best players in the world at what he does when he was at Liverpool. It's not worked out for him so far at Barcelona, but that talent hasn't just disappeared. I wouldn't call Suarez average either, he is capable of doing incredible things with the ball. I think Suarez's problems are physical, not technical, he looks heavy and slow compared to when he was in England. And again, Rakitic is not average, he is technically better than every Liverpool midfielder except Fabinho.

Look, we could sit here and debate each individual player for hours, but let's think about it this way: are these players technically (forget physically, psychologically or tactically) better than their Liverpool counterparts? Of course they are. There's no way I can be convinced that Milner is better on the ball than Rakitic, or Origi than Suarez, or Robertson than Alba, or Shaqiri than Coutinho.

What those Liverpool lads have, though, is supreme fitness, a tremendous work ethic, and belief in themselves as a team that they can beat anyone. Barcelona don't have any of that, and as a result they got ran into the ground by a very fit and intense Liverpool side. They turned up at Anfield looking like they thought they could just walk around and wait for Messi to score. You can't go into games like that at the top level. It might be enough against Leganes or Levante but against Liverpool and even Roma, you need to work hard and fight for everything.

 

[West Saxon]

Yes you are right, I said similar things earlier - this is the era of the great motivators; Klopp, Pep and Poch. Each of these, even if they don't have the best players in the world, get 100% out of their team, their players believe in them 100%, and they have their own vision and conviction of how their teams should play.

The small man here at Barca, EV, doesn't have such an ability. But the problem Barca have found since Pep left is a manager big enough in stature that can get the max out of the players as they have won absolutely everything in the game at this point. Klopp, Pep and Poch have far more impressionable players that they can command with absolute authority, it wouldn't be so plain sailing at Barca.

Yes, I think Barca need a manager with the authority to impose himself on that club and let the players know who the boss is, and get rid of any who don't comply. And that includes Messi if need be.

Probably the only man on the planet who could do that at Barca is Pep Guardiola.

 

[Kewell]

I'm a Liverpool fan and after coming to terms with it, I'm feeling kind of bad that Barcelona lost in this way (4-0). Messi is my favorite player and seeing him walk out like that after the game actually pained me a little especially with the little kid and the 4 fingers.

I absolutely detest Real Madrid and everything they stand for. I just wish we had knocked out Real Madrid instead of Barcelona. For all the fans that said that Barca did us a favor by beating Man Utd we didn't return the favor, remember we did knock out Real Madrid a couple of times as well as beating them in a European Cup Final.

I hope next season Messi fulfills his promise and wins the CL if we don't.

I also think there are a lot of over-reactions on this thread. Barcelona have a much better team than Liverpool, player by player. You are Spanish Champions are in the finals of the other domestic competitions. You also reached the semi-finals of the CL. You have been progressing a lot compared to the last seasons. Playing at Anfield in a second leg of a Champions League is very very hard and a lot of people under-estimated that. The crowd makes it really difficult. Liverpool have only not progressed once in a semi-final tie in their history. It's that hard. I think if Anfield was first in the tie or if you played Liverpool in the final, you would have won the Champions League. I don't really feel it was because of Valverde or Klopp being better than him or anything, I just think the second leg being at Anfield was under-rated. Also Coutinho and Suarez were obviously going to have average games at Anfield which negated your attack a lot.

There were two great games in the end. Thanks for that. Hope you win it next season if Liverpool get knocked out.

 

[Barcilliant]

Yes, I think Barca need a manager with the authority to impose himself on that club and let the players know who the boss is, and get rid of any who don't comply. And that includes Messi if need be.

Probably the only man on the planet who could do that at Barca is Pep Guardiola.

Pep is not coming back. I can think of only one guy. Jupp Heynkes. He knows Spanish, been here. He can adapt. He will bring a mix of technical play with physicality. Only problem is he's old and retired now.

I like Ten Hag but I don't think he has a big enough personality. Ditto most of the younger managers out there. Nuno Santo is good but I get laughed at by people when I mention his name. 😊

 

[Andrew M]

I'm a Liverpool fan and after coming to terms with it, I'm feeling kind of bad that Barcelona lost in this way (4-0). Messi is my favorite player and seeing him walk out like that after the game actually pained me a little especially with the little kid and the 4 fingers.

I absolutely detest Real Madrid and everything they stand for. I just wish we had knocked out Real Madrid instead of Barcelona. For all the fans that said that Barca did us a favor by beating Man Utd we didn't return the favor, remember we did knock out Real Madrid a couple of times as well as beating them in a European Cup Final.

I hope next season Messi fulfills his promise and wins the CL if we don't.

I also think there are a lot of over-reactions on this thread. Barcelona have a much better team than Liverpool, player by player. You are Spanish Champions are in the finals of the other domestic competitions. You also reached the semi-finals of the CL. You have been progressing a lot compared to the last seasons. Playing at Anfield in a second leg of a Champions League is very very hard and a lot of people under-estimated that. The crowd makes it really difficult. Liverpool have only not progressed once in a semi-final tie in their history. It's that hard. I think if Anfield was first in the tie or if you played Liverpool in the final, you would have won the Champions League. I don't really feel it was because of Valverde or Klopp being better than him or anything, I just think the second leg being at Anfield was under-rated. Also Coutinho and Suarez were obviously going to have average games at Anfield which negated your attack a lot.

There were two great games in the end. Thanks for that. Hope you win it next season if Liverpool get knocked out.

Thanks for your considerate words although I feel you are being quite generous towards us.

 

[Barcilliant]

I'm a Liverpool fan and after coming to terms with it, I'm feeling kind of bad that Barcelona lost in this way (4-0). Messi is my favorite player and seeing him walk out like that after the game actually pained me a little especially with the little kid and the 4 fingers.

I absolutely detest Real Madrid and everything they stand for. I just wish we had knocked out Real Madrid instead of Barcelona. For all the fans that said that Barca did us a favor by beating Man Utd we didn't return the favor, remember we did knock out Real Madrid a couple of times as well as beating them in a European Cup Final.

I hope next season Messi fulfills his promise and wins the CL if we don't.

I also think there are a lot of over-reactions on this thread. Barcelona have a much better team than Liverpool, player by player. You are Spanish Champions are in the finals of the other domestic competitions. You also reached the semi-finals of the CL. You have been progressing a lot compared to the last seasons. Playing at Anfield in a second leg of a Champions League is very very hard and a lot of people under-estimated that. The crowd makes it really difficult. Liverpool have only not progressed once in a semi-final tie in their history. It's that hard. I think if Anfield was first in the tie or if you played Liverpool in the final, you would have won the Champions League. I don't really feel it was because of Valverde or Klopp being better than him or anything, I just think the second leg being at Anfield was under-rated. Also Coutinho and Suarez were obviously going to have average games at Anfield which negated your attack a lot.

There were two great games in the end. Thanks for that. Hope you win it next season if Liverpool get knocked out.

Welcome to the forum and it's nice to see a gentleman from Liverpool instead of a chav.

Overreaction???

No way. I don't think we've had any reaction, especially from the board. To do it once is bad but to do it two years in a row is unforgivable.

Barca fans are interested now in the cl. Yes, it's great to win the league but the CL is the holy grail. We have had so many fantastic players but have only won it five times.

We have probably the best player ever and we've wasted his talents due to inept people running the club. Our performance against Liverpool was shambolic and that's an understatement.

 

[West Saxon]

I do have to say, as a supporter of a second-tier club (that almost became a third-tier club this year) in England that's never won a trophy in our history, it's really weird for me to see fans being upset because they'll "only" win the league and domestic cup and "only" got to the CL semi-finals. Come on lads, you don't know how good you have it, I'd love to win the FA Cup or even lose in the final, just once would be the best moment I've ever had as a football fan

 

[unknowngenius10]

I do have to say, as a supporter of a second-tier club (that almost became a third-tier club this year) in England that's never won a trophy in our history, it's really weird for me to see fans being upset because they'll "only" win the league and domestic cup and "only" got to the CL semi-finals. Come on lads, you don't know how good you have it, I'd love to win the FA Cup or even lose in the final, just once would be the best moment I've ever had as a football fan

I think we are upset b.c we felt like we had it in the bag.
Like a 3 goal advantage should have been enough to get us to the final.
Then we go back to the home game and think about Dembele missing that sitter, and that would have been the 4th one.
On top of that, Liverpool last goal was something that a team.like Barca shouldn't have to go through , total loss of concentration when you are playing your way to the final.
Next year Madrid and Liverpool will probably be stronger, so our chances of winning the CL are not looking too good.
It's been so long since we last won it, so the fact that our worst rival just won 3 in a row adds a little bit more pressure and makes fans more upset.
Even to this day I'm still in shock from losing to Liverpool
Like how could it happen?
Sometimes I tell myself that Liverpool were just better, but then I remember we had a 3 goal advantage and nothing makes sense anymore
We lost like cowards