Liverpool’s Champions League tie with Real Madrid is simply to make or break for their season.
Their defense of the Premier League title has been a disaster. None of the mitigating factors fully legislate for the extreme drop-off that has the defending champions 26 points behind the leaders in early April. They just have not been good enough.
In 30 league games this semester, they have already lost as many as they did in the previous three seasons together. The domestic cups have not changed either – they left both the FA and EFL cups in the fourth round.
But somehow they have dug in and stayed afloat in the Champions League.
Next time, @ChampionsLeague in Madrid ✨ # LFC | #UCL pic.twitter.com/Hipc4KiBiq
– Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 4, 2021
Jurgen Klopp’s team has saved their best performances for Europe. While losing to Leicester and Fulham in the Premier League, they flew to Budapest just a few days later to dismiss Bundesliga title champions RB Leipzig without any hassle at all.
On their way to the first stage of the quarter-finals on Tuesday, Liverpool are in better shape than they have been for a while.
The partnership between Ozan Kabak and Nat Phillips has put in a gap at the back, keeping consecutive league clean sheets for the first time since September, while their midfield looks much more balanced and functional with Fabinho installed at the base.
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Liverpool seem to be close to signing Ibrahima Konate, but should they just sign Kabak permanently instead? @Andy_Headspeath, @ AlexPurdy21 and @em_sandy discuss … # LFC | #Subscribe ⬇️
– 90min (@ 90min_Football) March 30, 2021
The team actually chooses itself … but there is a big question. Where does Diogo Jota fit in?
The Portuguese simply has to play from the beginning. He crushed his status as a backup to the established front three almost immediately after signing from Wolves, and he has made a similar impact since returning from injury last month.
He has scored or assisted four of their last six goals – no coincidence that they have come in a run with three straight victories – and his double from the bench against Arsenal won them essentially the points at the Emirates.
Jota puts Liverpool 3-0!
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– Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 3, 2021
With three goals in his last two appearances, he is in the best shape of any of Liverpool’s strikers. Before the biggest match of their season so far, it would be crazy not to start him.
Mohamed Salah retains an automatic place – he is their top scorer this season at a distance – but there can be no complaints if Jota went in for either Roberto Firmino or Sadio Mane. Nor has it been quite up to it so far this semester, and while both looked strong in north London over the weekend, a rest could make one of them a good world.
The second option is Hail Mary; Klopp has so far only started his Fab Four twice, but one of them was against Manchester City – which indicates that it is a tactic that the German likes to use against the best of the best.
It may be particularly viable with Fabinho and Georginio Wijnaldum available to provide a solid base, and it may be worth considering throwing an important away goal or two at the Spanish giants’ patch.
No matter what happens, if the Reds have serious ambitions to win the competition this season, their number 20 must be on the team magazine in Madrid.
Go on through this and either Chelsea or Porto stand between them and another shot of glory in Istanbul.
In its current form, Jota is their best way to get there. So drop him in Spain and see what happens.
