Are Liverpool the best team in Europe right now? You’d have to stake a compelling case indeed to convince Anfield’s roaring fanbase otherwise, with Real Madrid added to the growing collection of stunning victories under Arne Slot’s wing.
It might be the biggest yet. Certainly, the most euphoric and awe-inspiring. Los Blancos were made to look distinctly average on Wednesday evening, reduced to mere flashes of the imperious quality that the Champions League has tasted with such regularity over the past decade. More.
The narrative was rewritten with this one. Over the past 15 years, Liverpool have lost seven matches against Real Madrid. Sure, they once drew, but that was only after the Spaniards had assumed control with a 3-1 win in the first leg of their knockout tie.
The challenge has been insurmountable, the road impassable. No more. Slot has taken Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and turned it into something better. A thrash-metal, easy-on-the-eye outfit has been gentrified and polished.
Conor Bradley’s crunching tackle on subdued Kylian Mbappe was the highlight, an image framed and pasted across channels. Alexis Mac Allister and Caoimhin Kelleher were also sublime. But one man continued his revival with a quietly excellent performance.
Darwin Nunez's resurgence continues
Darwin Nunez has scored three goals and supplied two assists in 16 matches this season, starting nine. Not brilliant; it could be better for sure.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
But the 25-year-old’s overall game is noticeably more refined and streamlined. He was a thorn against the La Liga side, playing for 68 minutes before being replaced by goalscorer Cody Gakpo, with Luis Diaz shifting into a makeshift role at number nine once again.
Nunez’s maturity and understanding of Slot’s style is something that can’t be easily defined through statistics. As per Sofascore, the Uruguayan was foiled twice by Thibaut Courtois and saw an impressively-taken header skew wide. It was a good effort all the same.
Courtois has been a byword for misery down Anfield Road these past few years, saving his finet displays when facing Liverpool. Maybe he’s just an exceptional goalkeeper. Yesterday, though, Slot’s tactical assault and the clinically-taken goals finally thwarted the Belgian.
It wasn’t Nunez who beat the Belgian and missed chances are of course a grumpy theme of the forward’s Liverpool career, but he was tenacious and tireless, a thorn in the visitors’ backline.
All that said, it might be that he needs to be dropped for the weekend’s Premier League clash, against none other than Manchester City. They’re coming thick and fast alright.
Pep Guardiola’s beleaguered side are really struggling, look a shell of their usually indomitable selves. Slot won’t expect to steamroll over the most illustrious English side of the modern age, however, and must expect the best version of the Premier League champions.
Nunez should be dropped with Diogo Jota fit once again. The Portuguese ranks among 12% of forwards across Europe – over the past year – for non-penalty goals scored (0.63) per 90, as per FBref.
Now let’s step into more contentious territory. Slot should drop Diaz too.
Ehy Slot must boldly drop Luis Diaz
Diaz didn’t put in his finest display of the season, but he was still effective down the left channel and looked more impactful still when Slot demonstrated his tactical nous once again by moving the Colombian central.
How curious that he almost looks more fluid when playing as Liverpool’s number nine. Even so, Gakpo’s performance proved that he should start against City on Sunday, and while Diaz could do a job up front, Jota may well be preferable.
Anyway, this isn’t to say that the 28-year-old, who has been in fine fettle this term with nine goals and two assists across 18 matches (an identical record to Mbappe at Real Madrid, by the by), can’t leave his mark on the Sky Blues, with his pace and potency sure to have an effect if welcomed to the field after the break.
Gakpo deserves the opportunity, with his refocused role at left wing this season triumphing in making him more dangerous and dynamic.
He boasts a myriad of ways to inflict damage on his opponents, does Gakpo, and this level of incisiveness should be rewarded with a starting berth. Liverpool, to be sure, will need to take their chances against a Cityzen side that would like nothing more than to damage Slot’s high-flying start.
Minutes played
90′
22′
Goals
0
1
Assists
0
0
Touches
19
60
Shots (on target)
4 (2)
1 (1)
Accurate passes
41/45 (91%)
11/12 (92%)
Key passes
0
1
Dribbles (completed)
3 (2)
1 (1)
Total duels (won)
10 (3)
2 (2)
As you can see from the table above, Gakpo made such economical usage of his time on the field. He scored, yes, great, but he also made a key pass – Diaz did not across the full 90 – and succeeded with his one attempted dribble.
Diaz was good. Jotting down his post-match thoughts, the Liverpool Echo’s Ian Doyle handed him an 8/10 match rating and wrote: ‘Started brightly but should have been more bold up against stand-in right-back Valverde. Second half better, especially when switched to central position. Tenacious.’
Of course, Gakpo’s dynamic approach knows no bounds and saw him win both of his challenges, whereas his South American teammate lost seven of his ten contested duels.
All told, Liverpool deservedly thumped Real Madrid and the Slot machine churns on. The fact that the Reds have such a breadth of high-class options bears testament to the work done by Klopp and co across the past several years, rebuilding the iconic first iteration of this brilliant team.
Diaz will want to start on Sunday, but Gakpo is the man of the moment and proving his prolificness. With nine goal contributions from as many starts during the 2024/25 campaign, he should be placed on that left wing against City and let loose.
He wowed Carragher: Liverpool's 9/10 monster was even better than Kelleher
Liverpool made it five wins from five in the Champions League against Real Madrid.
ByEthan LambNov 28, 2024