Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp, ‘heart and passion’ more important than tactics in CL
By Tommy Adams
Liverpool take on FC Porto in the round of 16, in the Champions League and Jurgen Klopp believes his side possesses the necessary, ‘heart and passion’ to get them through to the quarter-finals.
The German mastermind believes that his side’s passion, combined with the support of the Liverpool fans is more important than tactics, and will ultimately be their driving force during the two legs.
Having guided Liverpool back into the Champions League by virtue of a fourth-placed league finish last year, Jurgen Klopp now has his sights set on getting past FC Porto, and into the quarter-finals of the competition.
Advantageously, the second leg of the tie will be played at Anfield, allowing Liverpool to set themselves up nicely, if they were to get a decent result in Porto.
Next: Salah talks Madrid links
Stellar attacking prowess in the group stages
Though Liverpool may not have clinched qualification for the knockout stages as soon as they would’ve liked, they still boasted one of the most lethal, attacking lines during the group stages.
From all 6 matches, they won 3 and drew 3, scoring 23 goals and only conceded 6 (GD of +17) – that’s an average of 3.83 goals per match. Paris Saint-Germain were the only team during the group stages to score more goals than Liverpool, as the Parisians racked up an impressive 25 goals; mostly accounted for by the likes of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, and Edinson Cavani.
The front three of Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, accounted for 16 of Liverpool’s 25 goals during the group stages, and looked primed and ready to add to their tallies with the form they’ve been in as of late. Emre Can and Trent Alexander-Arnold, are the only players outside of the front three who scored more than once; Can scored 3, while Alexander-Arnold scored 2.
Case in point, Liverpool have what it takes, on paper, to compete with Europe’s elite, but it’s up to the players in the squad, to believe in themselves enough and make it happen on the pitch. Klopp will surely do everything in his power to make sure his men are fired up for the encounter(s).
Next: Spurs comeback to draw 2-2
Klopp: heart and passion over tactics
Speaking ahead of the first leg in Porto (via Sky Sports), Klopp reiterated his belief that his side’s heart and passion will be what [ultimately] gets them through to the next round:
"“The system will never win the game. It’s about the players and their decision making and doing the right thing in the right moment, throwing your heart on the pitch giving everything you have. Systems are very important but only to bring players in their best positions.”"
Next: Did Karius take a corner in form
Klopp also made sure to highlight the fact that Champions League knockout ties are decided over the course of just one leg, but two:
"“Does that happen a lot in the Champions League? That one game decides it? I’ve not thought about it. But we believe in Anfield. We know it’s a place where the crowd can make a difference. But to use that in the second game we need to do the job in the first game. We are looking to get a result to give us a chance in the second game. But it will be hard, we know that.”"