On The Ball | Jurgen Klopp’s rudderless Reds in desperate need of a ‘mentality monster’, but who fits the bill currently?
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The contemptuous ease with which Real Madrid passed the ball around a static Liverpool in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday was worrying. Mohamed Salah’s away goal gives Klopp a lifeline but the 3-1 result could have been much worse. At times the English champions looked lost and confused. They lacked direction.
That might seem strange. In the fanless void of Covidball, there appears to be less of a need for leadership on the pitch. Because there are no supporters in the stands, the shouts of managers and coaches can be heard ringing around stadiums. Tactical tweaks can be communicated more swiftly, errors addressed in real time and advice passed on immediately from the dugout.
Except none of this helped at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano. Voices on the pitch are more important than the sounds from the sidelines.
