If Trent Alexander-Arnold had been fully match-fit, Jurgen Klopp acknowledged that Liverpool might have produced their most recent European miracle.
With a quarterfinal loss to Atalanta, the Reds’ chances of winning the Europa League in Klopp’s final season as manager were dashed. The opening leg ended in a 3-0 loss at Anfield against the Serie A team.
However, Liverpool got off to a strong start at the Stadio de Bergamo in the rematch, with Mo Salah’s penalty kick in the seventh minute providing them with a lifeline. Alexander-Arnold won the spot-kick; he was making his first start after bouncing back from a two-month knee injury.
In the first half, everything revolved around the vice-captain of the Reds. However, his extended absence eventually caught up to him after the half, and Joe Gomez was brought on in the 76th minute.
During his press conference after the game, Klopp acknowledged that Liverpool’s inability to maintain their intensity in the second half prevented them from really bothering Atalanta, and as a result, they were ousted from the Europa League with a polite defeat.
The Reds manager stated: “We struggled to maintain that speed in the second half, which was our major issue. For us, Trent Alexander-Arnold, a guy we haven’t had in a while, was what you saw tonight. Along with Macca [Alexis Mac Allister], he established the game’s tempo, rhythm, and direction as long as he was fresh. He was obviously running a little low on gas. That was the difference, though, because Macca had to play this ridiculous game in an even more ridiculous manner.
“Normally, we can maintain the tempo, but it wasn’t so simple tonight. I believe that whatever Atalanta changed in the second half was not [the reason] if we could have maintained a greater rhythm for a little while longer. They applied intense pressure in the first half, which they repeated in the conclusion. The game’s middle saw them apply less pressure, so that’s the way it is, but it did not make a difference.
“I think tonight when we were really in the game we were difficult to play and in other moments we were easier to defend. We didn’t have enough chances for this. We have to create a little bit more than we did in the first half already because it is always clear you need the results to help to destabilise the opponent a little bit – if you have a second goal, then it is a tricky one and each ball and the next goal is extra-time, but we didn’t get to that point so we will never really know how that would have looked. But again, how I said, Atalanta deserve to go through and I am fine with that. I don’t want to go through if you don’t deserve it so it’s all good.”
