3 mistakes that Jurgen Klopp should not have made against PSG
Paris Saint-Germain defeated English giants Liverpool at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday in a Group C clash of the UEFA Champions League 2-1 in a match that saw a lot of physical as well as mental battles won and lost. The Reds' manager Jurgen Klopp later accused the PSG side of breaking the flow of football by staying down on the pitch for too long after tackles, and that they made Liverpool "look like butchers."
Although Liverpool had more possession and a better passing accuracy, PSG ran out winners due to the brilliance of a certain Brazilian called Neymar. The Reds' horrendous away run in the Champions League continued and we pick out 3 mistakes that Jurgen Klopp should not have made on Wednesday.
#1 Playing Joseph Gomez at right-back
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool's right-back, was rested to make way for Joseph Gomez at the fullback position on Wednesday and that was a blunder. Alexander-Arnold is one of the best right-backs in the Premier League at the moment and he should have been played in the starting XI. Although Gomez is a very sound technical defender, he lacks the pace that Alexander-Arnold has to offer. The latter's crossing abilities too are remarkable.
Alexander-Arnold's confidence would have been high after he scored a goal in Liverpool's 2-0 win over Watford in the weekend and that would have helped the Reds tremendously.
#2 Not giving Xherdan Shaqiri enough game time
Xherdan Shaqiri, Liverpool's in-form midfielder, was relegated to the bench so that Dutchman Georginio Wijnaldum could add some defensive solidity. Shaqiri offers something different in midfield and it was vital that in a game as big as this, he should have started. Although he was called upon in the 77th minute, it was a move that was made a bit too late.
Shaqiri, signed from Stoke City in the summer, has been phenomenal in the limited opportunities he has got. He has two goals and two assists to his name already in the Premier League.
#3 Allowing Neymar time and space
Although Virgil van Dijk and co. tried their best to not give Neymar and Kylian Mbappe any amount of space and time, they were unsuccessful. In hindsight, perhaps a poor performance by the leader of the pack van Dijk set the tone for Liverpool's defeat.
Klopp cannot be blamed for this poor defensive display and sometimes one just has to doff their hat to a superior opponent. In Neymar, Liverpool encountered just that on Wednesday.