After a dominant performance against Roma in the Champions League semi-final first leg, who can stop Liverpool from winning club football’s most coveted prize? DEAN WORKMAN explores.
The Reds romped home to an emphatic 5-2 win over Roma on Tuesday night, leaving the Italians with an uphill task of reaching the final.
While Roma’s stunning comeback against Barcelona is still fresh in the mind, we cannot rule out a similar performance against Jurgen Klopp’s team. However, it does seem highly unlikely because they will have to do something that not many teams have achieved this season, and that is to stop Klopp’s men from scoring.
The Merseyside club have scored a competition high 38 goals, with the closest challengers to that being Paris Saint-Germain, who scored 27 goals but are no longer in the competition. That is an astounding 3.45 goals per game.
With their ‘heavy metal’ style of football, Klopp’s team have also had the most attempts in the competition with 178.
Simply put, the Reds have been rampant at times in the competition, scoring for fun and sweeping sides away at will. They have scored more than three goals eight times this season, which includes 7-0 wins over Maribor and Spartak Moscow as well as scoring five against FC Porto and Roma.
They swept aside English champions Manchester City with ease ― when many predicted otherwise ― and now stand on the brink of another European final.
Liverpool may have shown their defensive frailties at times but this has not worried the team that look to simply outscore their opponents.
So, can anyone stop them? Barring another miraculous comeback from Roma, Liverpool will come up against Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the final.
Each team would provide a stern test for the English side. Madrid, the defending champions, will be favourites to progress to the final and if they do go on to face Liverpool in the final it will be a mouth-watering tie.
For years the Spanish side have adopted the ‘you score four, we score five’ mentality, the same one which this Liverpool side have seemed to have adopted. Madrid, however, are seasoned Champions League campaigners and this squad knows how to get over the line in Europe.
Los Blancos are looking for their third successive Champions League crown and their experience in handling and winning these big games could provide them with an upper hand on Klopp’s team.
If the Reds are to come up against Bayern, the challenge will not be any easier. The Germans have a squad packed with talent, both attacking and defensive. They will offer a different challenge to Real Madrid as they will likely be well drilled, organised and efficient ― they are, of course, a German side after all.
There is no doubt that Liverpool can beat any team on any given day. But will they be able to handle the pressure of a major European final? Only time will tell, but first, they need to do a job in Rome before shifting their attention to the biggest game the club has had in over 10 years.
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