Liverpool’s ‘strongest team’ was perfect v Atletico – until it absolutely wasn’t

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Liverpool put out their ‘strongest team’ against Atletico Madrid and it was a perfect choice. Until it absolutely wasn’t.

Jurgen Klopp went with the side that many predicted to face Atletico – including RTK. It’s a team we believe is the strongest available and we’re not the only ones.

Jamie Carragher said the same after the Reds named their team. “First time the strongest team has started all season!” he wrote on Twitter.

And it made complete sense that Klopp would pick that side. The defence and attack were certainties and Klopp’s midfield was always going to define his plan.

He went with Fabinho in the holding role and Jordan Henderson in a more box-to-box role. Exactly what you’d choose when you want a risk-free, tight game. Liverpool didn’t need to blow Atletico away, they simply needed to prevent their opponents winning.

But Diego Simeone’s side scored right away. That completely changed the plan, then.

Atletico immediately sat back, stayed compact and were happy to defend in their own half. Now, they very much wanted a tight game.

So while Liverpool started with their ‘strongest’ team, it wasn’t the strongest team to break down Atletico. The midfield was suddenly too static, with none of the creativity or dribbling of Naby Keita or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Fabinho wasn’t necessary as Atletico rarely attacked. Liverpool needed more flair. The initial plan was redundant in mere minutes.

It’s an impossible problem to deal with, of course. You can’t prepare for it, really, and you either make an early change or wait to see if the side can adapt.

For Liverpool, it was wait and see.