Yesterday evening was a tense one for the Reds. They went into their final Champions League clash against Napoli at Anfield knowing that only a 1-0 win or a win by two clear goals would be enough. Whilst they secured the result they needed with a sublime piece of Mo Salah magic, the fans had little faith in pulling off the miraculous win when they saw Jurgen Klopp’s chosen midfield trio.
#LIVNAP team news time!
Reds line-up against @en_sscnapoli…#UCL https://t.co/jwdAYGFm5A
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) 11 December 2018
Considering the quality of players that are available to Klopp, it’s a mystery that he decided to go with Georginio Wijnaldum, Jordan Henderson and James Milner. The club captain Henderson has come in for a lot of stick over the course of the season for his ‘crab-like’ performances, and the supporters were absolutely livid when he was chosen. It was made especially tough seeing as both Fabinho and Naby Keita were left on the bench for the huge clash.
Klopp has come under fire in previous matches for his choices in midfield, and now that his side’s playing less of the heavy metal football that they’ve become synonymous with over the last few years, having an emphasis on a defensive midfield has become key. Even so, Napoli aren’t a team to be underestimated and the supporters had a collective heart attack when they realised that Klopp wasn’t having them on with his three-man midfield.
You can read the livid Liverpool fans’ responses to the team news here:
https://twitter.com/GerrardEdition/status/1072562624515268608
https://twitter.com/sammy_rich1/status/1072562744518471680
Europa league is not that bad right?
— Jay (@jayjayR28) December 11, 2018
We are OUT
— Isak_9 (@MagicWirtZ7) December 11, 2018
https://twitter.com/GenuineGini_/status/1072563065701437441
https://twitter.com/_Raks247/status/1072563230537592835
— Max (@Maxmoore1998) 11 December 2018
Not that midfield pliz
— Mmoto Mmdambo (@Samueljnr2) December 11, 2018
The mood amongst the fans when the lineups came out was shocking, and it’s only now that the Reds are starting to give Klopp credit for getting it right.
