Yahoo News Is Liverpool's squad now stronger than Manchester City's?
Liverpool are celebrating an anniversary on Thursday. It is exactly one year since they were knocked out of a competition.
Rewind to the last time it happened - the Champions League quarter-final exit to Real Madrid in 2021 - and the familiar lament was about Jurgen Klopp’s lack of strength in depth, Liverpool paying the price for Virgil van Dijk’s long-term injury.
Their startling squad evolution in 12 months is fundamental to their enduring quadruple bid.
Klopp has often described City as the best team in the world. He may be right. But as he prepares for the second instalment of a possible trilogy which may conclude in a Champions League final in Paris, there is less credibility in Klopp arguing Pep Guardiola still has the strongest squad.
Check out the benches last weekend: Manchester City’s packed with several inexperienced youngsters while Klopp could summon seven internationals.
On Wednesday, Liverpool progressed to another semi-final with three of their regular back four VIP spectators, Van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson rested after their exertions at the Etihad ahead of another intense meeting with City at Wembley.
Guardiola, in contrast, is likely to spend the coming days assessing the emotional and physical wounds of a bruising Madrid night.
'Their bench today was FRIGHTENING!' 😳
'I don't know if I've seen many better benches than that. It was a who's who of top drawer players.'
No Salah, Mané, van Dijk or Fabinho. No problem for Liverpool.
🎙 @rioferdy5 was suitably impressed.#UCLTONIGHT pic.twitter.com/7givtb5C8P— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 13, 2022
While Mohamed Salah, Fabinho, Sadio Mane and Thiago were making their entrance for 30-minute cameos - Liverpool at that stage cruising to a meeting with Villarreal - Kevin de Bruyne and Kyle Walker were exiting Wanda Metropolitano with worrying injuries. That was before the tunnel brawls.
For the first time since their rivalry caught fire in England, Guardiola will be looking at Liverpool’s resources with envy. City had no choice but to select their strongest line-up against Atletico. If his players are battle-weary, replacing them with those of similar quality will not be straightforward, but he is in no doubt of Klopp’s intentions to go as strong as possible at Wembley.
Klopp will also be able to utilise more experienced options with being free to use five substitutes, a weapon he has used to maximum impact throughout this European run
True, Liverpool’s progress ended up being sloppier than necessary as Benfica fought on. Conceding three goals was testimony to the risk of naming any line-up without Van Dijk.
Yet for all the palpitations as Benfica continued to bypass Liverpool’s offside traps, there was always a feeling that the extra gears were there as and when required, while the outstanding players in a 6-4 aggregate win - Roberto Firmino and Kostas Tsimikas - may be back on the bench this weekend.
Tsimikas would ease into the starting line-up of pretty much every Premier League team other than Liverpool, City and a fully fit Chelsea. He replaced Robertson with two assists, his set pieces maintaining a season-long trend given Liverpool’s expertise from corners and free kicks. The Greek may lack some of the defensive refinement of Robertson, but he has excelled whenever called upon.
Firmino has become more of an understudy for the biggest fixtures, and yet in recent weeks the benefits of less game time since Christmas have been manifest. Far from winding down as he, like Salah and Mane, prepares to head into the final year of his contract, the Brazilian has done enough to earn an extension - even if the next few years may see him start fewer games.
The jury is out as to who is the most effective defensive partner for Van Dijk. Joel Matip’s senior status just about edges out Konate. Against rapid strikers, the young Frenchman generally gets the nod.
And then there is the evergreen James Milner, Klopp’s on-field lieutenant, who made a rare start on Wednesday. Milner is out of contract this summer, but his influence over the last six years is such that it feels like Klopp will want him around for as long as he is, especially when he needs some game management to close out winning positions - even if there is a risk Milner’s new nickname might as well be ‘bonus’ given the number of injury-time appearances from the bench.
Klopp has so much quality in reserve nowadays, quadruple hopes were enhanced by those who did not play as much as those who completed the job in this tie.
Whatever Liverpool go on to achieve this season, by making his squad look stronger than City’s, Klopp has pulled off another improbable feat.
Jurgen Klopp warns Man City: You haven't seen the best of us
Jurgen Klopp says Manchester City did not see the best of Liverpool in last weekend's Premier League thriller as he called on his players to raise their game to keep the quadruple dream alive. Round two of what the clubs hope will become an epic trilogy kicks off at Wembley in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final. The team could meet in the Champions League final in Paris, too.
Klopp feels there is more to come from his team as the country's strongest sides prepare to lock horns again.
“City was really strong last week and we were not at our best, so I would like to see a game where we are at our best as well,” said Klopp.
“The boys did a lot of good stuff in the game but I really think in a couple of positions we are able to perform on a completely different level and I think we should give that a try. Both teams will use the last game for their analysis and we will see who uses it better.”
While Liverpool were able to make seven changes when progressing to the Champions League semi-final in midweek, City had a physically and emotionally exhausting trip to Madrid. Klopp says it remains to be seen if the midweek exertions have any influence. Liverpool have their own fitness concern around Diogo Jota, who injured his ankle against Benfica.
“I didn’t see the full (City v Atletico) game. I saw a few highlights,” said Klopp. “We had it last week before we played City because we had an away game and arrived home in the middle of the next day. We stayed overnight (in Lisbon). Travelling is intense, definitely. Will it give us an advantage? I have no idea. We will see that. It was intense for both teams (in midweek).”
The Liverpool coach says he had no choice but to give some of his stars a rest, even though they all wanted to play.
“They are completely in a tunnel. They want to play, play, play, play, be successful and win everything,” he said.
“That's why I don't ask players 'Are you tired?'. I have to make decisions without talking a lot, just make it and deal with it and go from there. My responsibility, right or wrong. Yesterday we could rest seven players who started three days before and that's great. Seven more players got some rhythm.”
Klopp has made a formal request to BT to move the kick-off time of Liverpool’s trip to Newcastle on April 30. The fixture is scheduled for 12.30pm, three days after Liverpool’s first leg against Villarreal. From next season, there is agreement no English teams competing in the Champions League on Wednesday night will have a Saturday lunchtime kick-off.
