Jurgen Klopp names 2 Liverpool stars who really struggled in 1-0 loss to Real Madrid
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp named Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez as the two players in his team who struggled in the 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday, March 15.
After suffering a 5-2 defeat in front of their own fans at Anfield in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 clashes with Real Madrid, Liverpool had a mountain to move to when they traveled to Spain for the return leg.
However, Klopp's men failed to step up to the task once again and were handed a 1-0 loss at the Santiago Bernabeu. That made it a humiliating 6-2 battering for the Premier League giants on aggregate, sealing their elimination from the competition.
Speaking after the game, Jurgen Klopp couldn't hide his disappointment in Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez as he admitted to their struggles during the course of the game.
“For Diogo, it was clear that he should not play now extremely long because he is still coming back from a long, long injury,” the Liverpool manager was quoted as saying by The Boot Room.
“You could see the game got harder and harder for him, little fouls there, one, two, three, he is not a player who is usually fouling so perhaps he comes a bit late. So, no risk with him and we have options on the bench.
“Yes, Darwin looked like he was not on the absolute top level as well and then we need to defend that side as well because conceding a goal is not helpful in that situation. Yeah, we can change there, that’s why we did it. We wanted to mix it a little bit, that’s true,” the tactician added.
It is worth noting that Real Madrid appear to be the Merseysiders' nemesis. Over the last couple of years, Jurgen Klopp's side have lost two Champions League finals to the Spanish giants, with their latest elimination being another blow to their face.
What's next for Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool following Real Madrid loss?
After suffering another Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid on Wednesday, Liverpool will now switch their focus back to the Premier League. The Reds are currently ranked sixth in the table with 42 points in 26 games.
Meanwhile, all eyes will be on Real Madrid when they return to action in La Liga this weekend, with a Clasico clash with Barcelona coming up at Camp Nou on Sunday.
It remains to be seen how they'll fare this time after losing 1-0 to the Catalan giants in the Copa del Rey at the start of the month.