Liverpool 2–1 Atletico Madrid: Another Step Forward for Iraola’s Reds

Liverpool 2–1 Atletico Madrid: Another Step Forward for Iraola’s Reds Liverpool 2–1 Atletico Madrid – Champions League Post-Match Report By Steven Smith After Liverpool’s return to Champions League action ended with a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Atletico Madrid, Andoni Iraola’s side can take plenty of encouragement from a performance that demanded real character. This was certainly not straightforward. Liverpool found themselves up against a ferocious Atletico side that controlled large periods of the first half and exposed some of the weaknesses that remain within this new Liverpool structure. However, the Reds responded superbly after the break and ultimately deserved to take all three points. The Starting Eleven Liverpool XI GK – Alisson Becker RB – Ronald Araújo CB – Jérémy Jacquet CB – Virgil van Dijk (c) LB – Milos Kerkez CM – Alexis Mac Allister CM – Dominik Szoboszlai RW – Bradley Barcola AM – Florian Wirtz LW – Rio Ngumoha CF – Alexander Isak Substitutes Used Víctor Muñoz → Bradley Barcola (59’) Jeremie Frimpong → Rio Ngumoha (59’) Ryan Gravenberch → Alexis Mac Allister (69’) Lewis Koumas → Alexander Isak (87’) Kostas Tsimikas → Kostas Tsimikas (87’) Goals Liverpool 0–1 Atletico Madrid – Marcus Llorente (Julian Alvarez) – 17’ Liverpool 1–1 Atlético Madrid – Dominik Szoboszlai (Ronald Araújo) – 40’ Liverpool 2–1 Atletico Madrid – Alexis Mac Allister (Alexander Isak) – 50’ Match Statistics Possession – Liverpool 45% | Atletico Madrid 55% xG – Liverpool 1.69 | Atletico Madrid 0.89 Total Shots – Liverpool 14 | Atletico Madrid 9 Shots on Target – Liverpool 5 | Atletico Madrid 4 Fouls – Liverpool 11 | Atletico Madrid 10 Corners – Liverpool 7 | Atletico Madrid 5 First Half The opening half was a little bit like Gloucester for Liverpool. They were battling, scrapping and trying to stay in the contest, but Atletico Madrid looked like a well-oiled machine. Simeone’s side were organised, aggressive and extremely difficult to play through, and Liverpool struggled to impose themselves in the way Iraola would have wanted. Atletico’s 55 per cent possession tells part of the story, but the bigger concern was the way Liverpool struggled to establish control in midfield. The visitors deserved their lead when Marcus Llorente finished from Julian Alvarez’s assist in the 17th minute. Liverpool could easily have allowed the game to drift away from them at that point, particularly against an Atletico side with so much experience of managing European matches. Instead, they showed character. Dominik Szoboszlai restored parity in the 40th minute, with Ronald Araújo providing the assist, and that goal proved hugely important psychologically. Liverpool had survived the difficult periods and went into half-time level. Perhaps more importantly, they had something to build upon. Despite having less possession, Liverpool had already created enough to suggest there was a route back into the game. Their eventual 1.69 xG compared with Atletico’s 0.89 also demonstrates that the quality of Liverpool’s opportunities was significantly better. The first half was uncomfortable, but the Reds had not been overwhelmed. Second Half The second half became a completely different proposition. Liverpool were more aggressive, more controlled and much better at dictating where the game was played. Within five minutes of the restart, the turnaround was complete. Alexis Mac Allister put Liverpool ahead in the 50th minute after being set up by Alexander Isak, and suddenly Atletico were the team having to respond. This was where Liverpool showed the real grit and determination that had been missing during portions of the first half. Rather than retreating completely after taking the lead, Liverpool continued to threaten. They finished the match with 14 shots to Atletico’s nine and seven corners to five, while their 1.69 xG was comfortably superior to the visitors’ 0.89. Iraola also used his bench intelligently. Víctor Muñoz and Jeremie Frimpong entered in the 59th minute, replacing Bradley Barcola and Rio Ngumoha, while Ryan Gravenberch replaced Mac Allister ten minutes later. Those changes helped Liverpool maintain energy and intensity as the match entered its final stages. Lewis Koumas replaced Isak in the 87th minute, with the striker having already played his part in the winning goal. Liverpool had to defend their advantage late on, but they showed enough composure to see it through. https://twitter.com/benbocsak/status/2097792525733859647?s=46&t=rxgukmqdoXc4muVFLSx2EQ Final Thoughts This was not a perfect Liverpool performance, but it was arguably more valuable than a comfortable victory. The first half exposed weaknesses. Atletico were better in possession and looked like a well-oiled machine, while Liverpool sometimes resembled Gloucester as they fought simply to stay in the contest. But football is not played over 45 minutes. The second half was a vast improvement. Liverpool became more controlled, more aggressive and more dangerous, and they deserved their victory. Most importantly, this was a performance built on resilience. Iraola will still have plenty to improve, particularly in midfield and defensive structure, but his players demonstrated that they can suffer, respond and ultimately win against a very good European opponent. After the Ipswich victory, Liverpool now have back-to-back wins. That is precisely the momentum this new Liverpool era needed. Steven Smith’s Pre-Match Prediction: Liverpool 2 – 1 Atletico Madrid Final Score: Liverpool 2 – 1 Atletico Madrid