Liverpool v Barcelona: Pre-Match Talking Points
By Jordan Carreno
The second leg of the Champions League Semi-final has Liverpool hosting Barcelona at Anfield. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 PM EST on Tuesday.
A 3–0 first leg loss is a tough deficit to overcome. That the Reds need to overcome it whilst playing against Lionel Messi’s Barcelona will make things all the more difficult. But if any club in world football is capable of turning it around, it is Liverpool. As always, all three LFC Tampa Bay locations will be open, serving, and showing the match, so come on down and watch the last home game of this season’s European fixture list with your fellow Reds. With all that being said, let’s get into the talking points.
Improbable, Not Impossible
If Liverpool were to somehow turn around the first leg result and get themselves to the final, it will have to go down as one of the more unlikely results in the history of the competition. Although Liverpool are definitely a talented side and beating Barcelona by 3–0 or more wouldn’t exactly be surprising in itself, being able to overcome the first leg loss would still be quite the feat.
Add on top of it all that the Reds are without both Bobby Firmino and Mo Salah, and getting through to the final seems a bit improbable. However, rather than stewing over all the reason why it can’t or won’t happen for Liverpool, I’m choosing to focus on all the reasons why it could happen.
First, Barcelona will be upset they didn’t go and get that 4th goal at the end of the game. Although 3–0 is still a commanding lead, especially for a side like Barcelona, it isn’t the type of earth shattering result that means the second leg is rendered useless. We only have to look back to last season and the respective 3–0 and 5–2 first leg wins against Manchester City and Roma to see how quickly a comfortable three goal lead can be turned on its head. If that’s not enough, just look at how Barcelona got knocked out of last year’s competition by Roma after winning 4–1 in the first match of the tie. 4–0 would have been far too big of a mountain to climb, but 3–0 is definitely a doable, albeit daunting, task.
The second things the Reds will have going in their advantage is the fact that this second leg takes place at Anfield. Though there may not be much room for fairytales and mysticism in the analytical world of football, there is enough evidence of the crazy and unthinkable happening for this club at Anfield, especially in Europe. It may be hard to quantify and it is not something to lean on, but the magic of Liverpool in Europe undeniably exists.
The odds are undoubtedly stacked against Liverpool. If they are to overturn the first leg deficit, it will take a monumental effort on par with any legendary game in Liverpool’s history. Though it will be by far the most difficult challenge that Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool have faced, there is still hope they can do the job.
Main Mane
As mentioned earlier, Liverpool will go into the second leg without the services of Bobby and Mo. It will mean that Sadio Mane will be the lone member of the front 3 to feature on Tuesday. Though being significantly hampered up front will hurt the Reds chances of getting through, it provides a wonderful opportunity for Mane to put down a marker.
Mane’s first season saw him come into the side and instantly become our most important player. In fact, when Salah was signed he was viewed as an alternative for Mane, whose absence at the end of the previous season had almost seen the Reds miss out on top 4. Following a record breaking season and a stutter start to last campaign from Mane, Sadio’s status as the Reds most important player had been lost.
At the start of this season there was plenty of speculation that Sadio Mane would be looking to reassert himself onto this Liverpool team following Salah’s debut season. It wouldn’t have been anything malicious or ill-intentioned but rather a friendly, competitive desire to rise to the challenge of meeting the performance of Mo. Now, with Mo and Bobby absent, Sadio has the chance to carry this team again.
At various points this season, Sadio has carried this team by scoring important goals and dragging this Liverpool team over the line. It could very well be a case of Liverpool’s hopes resting on Sadio’s ability to finish and create chances against Barcelona. If the Reds do come through, Mane will undoubtedly play a huge part in it.
Nothing to Lose
Perhaps one of the biggest things going for this Liverpool side in the second leg is the relative lack of expectations given how the first leg went. At 3–0 down heading into the second leg, most of the footballing world expects Liverpool to be out of the competition at full time. At this point, Barcelona are expected to book their place in the final and Liverpool have been written off. Though the message coming out of the Barcelona camp is that this tie isn’t over, most, if not all, of the footballing world thinks it is.
This means that the Reds can play with a relative freedom on Tuesday. The only expectations from the home crowd will be that Liverpool give it their all and genuinely attempt to turn the tie around. As long as Liverpool give it a proper go and don’t just roll over to accept their fate, the Anfield faithful will be satisfied. So, even though it is Liverpool trailing by 3–0 and needing to claw their way back, it is Barcelona that will be facing all the expectations and pressure of going through.
This lack of pressure on the Reds could be enough to allow them to play with a freedom we haven’t seen since the run of last season. Liverpool will be allowed and instructed to throw caution to the wind and go all out in an attempt to do the improbable. Meanwhile, Barcelona will be doing all they can to avoid another embarrassing collapse in the Champions League and meeting the expectation that they are one of the two teams playing in the final. Though Barcelona are a team full of well seasoned veterans and experienced winners, that pressure combined with the voodoo of last season and the magic of Anfield could see the tides turn.
Once again, it won’t be easy and it is highly unlikely, but having all the pressure on Barcelona’s shoulders could be a blessing in disguise. Whilst the Liverpool will be allowed to play with a freedom and a total disregard for sensible defending, Barcelona will have to play with discipline in order to prevent the tie from getting out of their control. If Liverpool are able to turn this freedom into early goals, it could mean the tie spiralling out of Barcelona’s control.
Prediction
We are back to the European table where neither David nor I picked up points in the first leg. This means the point totals remain at 12 for myself and 9 for David.
Here we go. Here is my crazily constructed theory for how the Reds are going to turn it around and play in a second straight final. Strap in.
I think Barca comes out looking to defend and try to score 1 goal over 90 minutes. In their minds they handled Liverpool’s attack fairly easily whilst playing an open style of play, so, with Mo and Bobby out, they will fancy themselves to be able to pack in and defend. Ultimately, I think this will be to their detriment as Barcelona are a side that are far more capable going forward than they are holding back.
I think we come out in the 4–2–3–1, looking to control possession and pile on the pressure in search of goals. I think we see Mane start at the striker, with Origi and Shaq on the wings. I think Klopp opts to put Gini in the 10 with Hendo and Fab in the holding midfield roles. I also think we go Trent, Robbo, Matip, VVD, and Ali at the back.
Anfield will be up and ready for it. The atmosphere will at a little level to the opening flurry from the Reds. We get to 2–0 by the half and the tides begin to turn. Barca switch tactics and open themselves up a bit as they look to kill the tie early in the second half. This leads to a third for the Reds before a late 4th after the 80th minute. It is then all hands on deck for the last 10 minutes. Liverpool do the business and the footballing world is stunned. 4–0.
David’s Prediction: I was pretty shell shocked after that first leg. On the balance of things, the score did not reflect the reality of the tie. The only solace I took from it was in knowing we come back to Anfield with a glimmer of hope, but even with that it’s taking all I’ve got left to see how we turn this thing over. We need three goals, at least. The players will think if they can simply win the tie and keep a clean sheet, they can create enough chances to get us over the line.
I don’t think Barca hold back. You saw how Messi reacted to that Dembele miss. He knows it’s not over. I think they come out and fly at us, attempting to kill the thing off in the early going and keep the crowd muted. I’m hoping our stars align and it backfires on them. We get one before the half hour mark. Mane may be isolated, but he skins their center backs for a second before half.
Coming out of half they have a flourish and score. It all looks like it’s dusted. We’ve got 35 minutes to get three goals and it is now that Barca start to think more defensively. A free kick goal 10 minutes later gives us our third. A corner kick headed in by Virgil another 10 minutes later gives us the fourth. These Reds simply won’t go away. With 10 minutes to go Liverpool are 4–1 up and there is strange feeling in the air. It’s one of those nights under the lights. Unwilling to lose on away goals, the Reds find the match winner in the 91st minute as Divock Origi pops up to bury a rebound following a saved shot. Barca puts together a late flourish, but Alisson makes a pair of remarkable saves to bail us out. 5–1 to the Reds on a night where some of us actually die from the stress. These Reds book a spot in the final and will hopefully wear black arm bands in honor of those we’ve lost.
