Jack Hallows gives his opinion on what the ideal Champions League draw for Liverpool will be when the Reds’ find out their opponents tonight.
The Champions League draw is among us!
Hours of talking, more talking, some video clips and then some more talking before the main event of those little balls being drawn.
For Liverpool, the fact they played a part in the final of last season’s competition now means nothing. It’s a new campaign and a fresh chance for this squad to prove their credentials on the biggest stage in European football.
The pots were finalised last night with Jürgen Klopp’s men ending up in pot three – not a disaster but not the most ideal situation.
Had Benfica lost to Greek side PAOK last night, the Reds would’ve been put into pot two, meaning they would’ve avoided all of Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, Napoli, Roma and of course, Klopp’s old stomping ground: Borussia Dortmund.
Joining the Reds in pot three – meaning the Reds cannot be drawn against them – are Schalke, Lyon, Monaco, Ajax, CSKA Moscow, Valencia and PSV Eindhoven.
While avoiding a trip out to play CSKA Moscow is a plus, the rest of the sides would’ve represented very winnable fixtures for the Reds had they been drawn in the same group.
Regardless though, you still have to beat the best to be the best and there are truly no easy games in this competition – something that was proven time and again during last season’s campaign.
Incredibly, there were sections of the media and wider footballing fanbase who last season labeled Liverpool’s run to the final as “easy.”
The Reds did have a fairly kind group, with Sevilla the major challenge presented to Klopp’s men as Maribor and Spartak Moscow caused little problems and were both hit for seven on seperate occasions.
However, it seems to have been conveniently forgotten that Liverpool then played an almost impossible to beat at home Porto side in the Round of 16, putting five past them on their own soil as Sadio Mané’s season exploded back into life.
They then had to take on the best team in England – if not the entirety of Europe – last season in Manchester City, beating them 5-1 across the two legs.
When it came to the semi-finals, Liverpool got the supposedly “easy” draw there too in Roma. A Roma side that had finished ahead of Chelsea in the group stages and had knocked Barcelona out of the competition.
There’s also the small matter that the Reds had a record-breaker in James Milner who registered the most assists ever in a single Champions League campaign, while Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino AND Sadio Mané all broke double figures for goals scored.
Convenient that they forgot all of that, eh?
Moving on to the 2018/19 instalment of the competition though, we’re going to find out for sure who Liverpool will be playing in the group stages very soon.
For me though, this would be my ideal draw.
From pot one: Real Madrid
To put it simply, I want revenge.
I want to see Mohamed Salah leave Sergio Ramos for dead as he bursts past him and sticks the ball in the back of the net.
I want to see this new-look Madrid side crumble amid the European home game atmosphere that Anfield is now famous for.
Of course, it wouldn’t make the memories of that match in Kiev hurt any less but it would be wonderful to have some fresh memories of beating the Spanish side both at Anfield and on their own turf.
Under Klopp, this Liverpool team also seems to have a real thing for avenging heartbreak and poor results.
In 2016, League Cup final disappointment was followed by a 3-0 wiping of Manchester City as Klopp’s men took out all their anger on the opponent who had taken away their first chance at silverware under the manager.
Last season there were similar scenes during the 4-3 at Anfield and the two legs of the Champions League clash as Liverpool made sure to avenge the 5-0 humiliation they’d suffered at the Etihad.
This team plays with a new-found fire in their belly – especially when they have reason to do so – and watching them play against this current Real Madrid outfit could pose as a real spectacle.
In terms of who I’d want to avoid, it’s Juventus and Atletico Madrid.
Both play a style of football that would cause serious problems for Klopp’s men, sitting deep and hitting sides on the counter-attack.
We’ve seen the Reds struggle at times to break down low blocks that are put up by lower Premier League sides and it would only be tougher when trying to break down defences containing the likes of Diego Godin or Chiellini.
Other potential pot one opponents: Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Paris Saint Germain, Lokomotiv Moscow.
From pot two: Napoli
Simply from a psychological point of view.
The Reds’ battered a fairly strong Napoli side in pre-season and a short trip to Italy to play on a great pitch, in a fantastic stadium, against a good but beatable side would represent the ideal draw from pot two.
The Italian side is having to undergo a tactical reinvention under Carlo Ancelotti and personally, I just think the Reds have far too much going forward for them to deal comfortably with playing us.
We’ve seen that against sides who come out and play football, Liverpool generally tend to thrive – especially now with the defence operating with far more solidity and the goalkeeper no longer a question mark.
Napoli love to do just that and as we saw in pre-season, this Reds’ outfit knows how to expose it.
There aren’t really any available sides I genuinely fear the Reds coming up against from pot two but avoiding the long distance trip to play an away match against Shakhtar Donetsk would be a bonus.
Other potential pot two opponents: Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, Napoli, Roma, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund.
From pot four: Take your pick
Pot four is much of a muchness honestly with Inter Milan perhaps the only team that all of the European heavyweights – Liverpool included – will be looking to steer clear of.
Galatasaray would also be high on my list to avoid given that while they are more than beatable, it’s a hostile ground to visit and the trip to get there wouldn’t be the most straightforward for the lads.
Hoffenheim could be a good shout given that Liverpool already know how to play against them and proved during qualification for last season’s Champions League proper that they know how to rip them apart.
Really though, if you’re Liverpool you don’t fear any of the teams in pot four and while away days can be tricky, the Reds know they should pick up 4 if not 6 points against every side found in that pot.
Potential pot four opponents: Viktoria Plzen, Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Young Boys, Inter Milan, Hoffenheim, Red Star Belgrade, AEK Athens.
An ‘ideal’ group for Liverpool in the 2018/19 Champions League draw:
Real Madrid
Napoli
Liverpool FC
AEK Athens/Hoffenheim
A ‘worst case’ group for Liverpool in the 2018/19 Champions League draw:
Atletico Madrid/Juventus
Borussia Dortmund
Liverpool FC
Inter Milan
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