Liverpool 2-5 Real Madrid: 'Slapstick' defending in heavy defeat leaves Reds facing inquest

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Jurgen Klopp reacts during the Champions League decision to Real Madrid

"I deliberation Carlo thinks the necktie is over, and I deliberation it is arsenic good successful the moment, but successful 3 weeks..."

Liverpool person surely mounted fairytale comebacks before, but portion Jurgen Klopp believes his optimism successful overturning a three-goal shortage against Real Madrid volition return, helium volition cognize important improvements volition beryllium needed from Tuesday's 5-2 decision astatine Anfield.

The nonaccomplishment - Liverpool's worst astatine location successful Europe - means they person it each to bash to scope the quarter-finals of this season's Champions League.

"We volition spell determination and play a shot game," Klopp said of the 2nd limb successful Madrid against the holders connected Wednesday, 15 March.

"It volition beryllium a monolithic challenge. We person to marque definite we larn from this game."

Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson felt errors passim the crippled proved costly against Carlo Ancelotti's men.

"We made excessively galore mistakes astir the goals," helium added. "When you marque excessively galore mistakes, teams similar Madrid punish you."

Deja vu, but excessively overmuch to do?

Liverpool person been successful situations earlier wherever the likelihood are stacked against them, yet they person recovered a mode to bounce back.

They famously overturned a 3-0 half-time shortage to bushed AC Milan and triumph the Champions League successful 2005, and 4 years agone came backmost from a 3-0 first-leg nonaccomplishment to bushed Lionel Messi's Barcelona 4-0 to scope the Champions League final.

This Liverpool, though, person looked a antithetic broadside this season. Eighth successful the Premier League and retired of some home cupful competitions, they person won conscionable 3 of their 10 games truthful acold successful 2023.

Former England and Newcastle striker Alan Shearer feels the Reds are "a mile away" from what they person been previously.

"Last play indispensable person been precise pugnacious physically and mentally," said Shearer, of Liverpool's unsuccessful conflict for a quadruple of trophies successful the erstwhile campaign. "It was relentless and possibly they didn't get the concern with signings.

"Put each that unneurotic and determination are excuses for looking physically and mentally tired, but they person been unrecognisable.

"Every azygous subordinate - barroom the keeper - has mislaid the form. There is an statement to accidental they person each been a mile distant from the standards they person been set."

Former Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana believes the hangover from past season's exertions is inactive having an effect.

"Last play Liverpool played successful each azygous lucifer imaginable and that produces a lull," helium said connected BBC Radio 5 live.

"On the backmost of a pugnacious play I deliberation you are witnessing excessively galore moments erstwhile players are flat. They request to find thing successful them to spell again."

What went incorrect for Liverpool successful the archetypal leg?

Alisson reacts aft conceding against Real Madrid

If you hadn't watched the crippled and conscionable checked the post-match statistics, you would beryllium forgiven for reasoning that Liverpool were precise unlucky.

The Reds had much possession than Real, much shots connected extremity and a higher expected goals standing (2.01 to 1.66)

But the statistic bash not overgarment the existent picture. After an adjacent archetypal half, Liverpool were comfortably 2nd champion aft the break, but their defending passim was poor.

"The 2nd extremity is slapstick," Klopp said of Real's equaliser astatine 2-2, wherever Alisson hacked a clearance against Vinicius Junior and the shot rebounded past him and into the net.

"[For 1 of the goals] we person 5 oregon six players and nary challenge. That can't happen. We were passive until the shot arrived there."

Shearer offered a much blunt assessment.

"They were hopeless astatine the back," helium added. "I was acrophobic aft the Newcastle crippled due to the fact that Newcastle created a batch of chances.

"They haven't got the extortion they utilized to have. You can't bash that against world-class players."

Former Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard said: "It's a world check.

"At immoderate club, if you concede 5 goals there's got to beryllium an inquest into wherefore and how? I'm definite Jurgen volition bash that successful the coming days."

The dense decision produced immoderate unwanted statistic for Liverpool that marque it hard to spot however they tin recover:

They are the archetypal squad successful Champions League past to instrumentality a 2-0 pb but past suffer the crippled by a three-goal margin.
They conceded 5 goals successful a European crippled astatine Anfield for the archetypal time.
It is present 7 successive successive games against Real Madrid without winning.

Mission 'impossible' - but tin Liverpool crook the necktie around?

In the Champions League knockout stage, the unexpected often does happen.

But Real Madrid are unbeaten astatine location truthful acold this play and fixed Liverpool's mediocre caller grounds against them, Klopp's broadside volition person to nutrient thing peculiar to crook things around.

"They volition person to particulate themselves down precise quickly," said Lallana.

"It is adjacent connected intolerable for Liverpool to overturn this deficit."

Shearer added: "It would instrumentality a brave antheral to stake against Real Madrid.

"They are a nine with immense experience. They person seen it each and done it all. They cognize what they person to do."

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