[ad_1]
With the Champions League round of 16 draw taking place on Monday morning, Liverpool, as group champions, can pair up with any of the following seven teams: Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid, Sevilla, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Lazio, RB Leipzig and Porto.
It’s an intriguing mix, with some familiar faces, some Liverpool haven’t played with in quite some time and a couple Liverpool have never met before on a competitive stage.
Taking into account a number of factors (team quality, tactical profile, national league form, competition pedigree, and general interest to the viewer), our writers have divided them into four categories to assess how good (or bad) ) would represent a draw from a Liverpool point of view.
The ideal setting
Porto
Not the most exciting draw, to be sure, given that Liverpool have already played them in two of the last three Champions League campaigns, but we are talking about the opponent that gives Liverpool the best possible chance of reaching the quarterfinals. in the end, then it’s Porto. definitely.
The quality of the Portuguese league in general is considerably lower than that of the Big Five, and that gulf has been very clear in Liverpool’s recent encounters with Porto, sidestepping them with consummate ease on both occasions.
That’s not to say they’re easy to convince – there’s a reason they’ve reached this stage in the competition, and held Manchester City to a 0-0 draw earlier this month, but of all teams that Liverpool could obtain, they must surely be considered the least formidable on two legs. Joel rabinowitz
Full of intrigue, but very winnable
Borussia Mönchengladbach
There would be all kinds of intrigue in a Liverpool-Gladbach tie: the stories of ’77; a German club against a German coach; the evolution of the modern game through German coaches; Marco Rose’s innovative style and his connection to Klopp; Possible Liverpool transfer targets like Marcus Thuram, Breel Embolo and Denis Zakaria.
As a match, Liverpool would be confident. Gladbach have been solid, if unspectacular, so far in the Bundesliga. But while they failed to reach the same heights as last season, their go-go, full-throttle, no-break style is ripe for the kind of tie where they score an away goal to turn it into a tough draw.
There is tougher competition, but getting through a tie against an intense youth team would not be easy. Oliver Connolly
Lazio
How much you value this tie probably depends on your thoughts on Lazio’s place in Italian football culture: if you like the concept of the Stadio Olympico; If you follow the internal (and foreign) policy of a, umm, single club. And that probably depends on age. For older fans, Lazio is still a non-European team. For others, they are almost a heavyweight. For the youngest of the group, Lazio is that team that seemed to end up with a lot of former Liverpool players.
As a soccer team, they are a fascinating proposition and a fascinating watch, if you’re tactically inclined. They drop Luis Alberto on the tip of a spear in midfield, Liverpool’s former playmaker, and let everything orbit around him at turbo speed. Lightning counterattacks. Quick game changes. A solid, strong defensive block.
Somewhere within that is the recipe for a surprise. If the fans are back on the grounds by the time the game starts at the Olympico, it could be a tough draw. chief
Barcelona
It is debatable whether Barça should occupy the position of ‘dream / perfect’. The club is a mess. There is a persistent problem with Messi. The manager (lame duck) and the board are in the middle of a civil war. The possibility of adding players in January has been ruled out. And, always the one who compromises (with the intention of sarcasm), Ronald Koeman firmly adheres to a style and principle that has led to part open revolt and part behind-the-scenes leaks.
Now that I think about it: calling it clutter might not be enough. Add to that: the scars of that Stay the night at Anfield, even if a good chunk of the team, or at least the starters, have surrendered.
And yet the team still possesses all kinds of individual talent. Perhaps by the end of February, things will have started to click in Koeman’s system; maybe by February, there will be a new style and manager put together, one that clicks on the staff.
And, as always, even in his old age, there is the Messi factor. While Liverpool are leaps and bounds as a team. And although they have put the tweezers on Messi before. There is always the possibility that a group without Van Dijk could face Messi on one last European night at the Camp Nou. chief
I’d rather avoid if possible
RB Leipzig
You only have to look at the Bundesliga table to see that Leipzig is a really good team, and one that may well turn out to be Bayern Munich’s strongest national rival this season. They pulverized Tottenham Hotspur at this stage of last season’s Champions League, winning 4-0 on aggregate before knocking out Atletico Madrid in the quarterfinals, and though they eventually came up short in the semi-final against Paris Saint -Germain, your recent pedigree in this competition is really very strong.
The 5-0 loss to Manchester United early in the group stage this season was a strange anomaly, as they were sometimes ripped apart in the decisive final game to send them to the Europa League and deservedly reach the round of 16 at its coast. . Julian Nagelsmann is also clearly an excellent coach, and although there is no longer a prominent name, his team oozes quality and plays with such a clear and aesthetically pleasing tactical identity.
It would be fascinating to see how the heavy pressure and fast transitions from Leipzig and Liverpool stack up against each other, and the tie would certainly be very entertaining for neutrals. However, in terms of Liverpool’s prospects, they must be considered one of the toughest opponents possible. JR
Seville
It may seem a bit strange to categorize Sevilla as a tougher opponent than Barcelona, but at this point, it appears that it would represent a more uncomfortable challenge for Liverpool than an aging and underperforming Barcelona that it apparently finds itself incapable of handling. find your way out of an ongoing identity crisis.
Having won the Europa League in four of the last seven seasons, Sevilla are adept at negotiating two-game knockouts, albeit at a lower level, and Liverpool have found them extremely difficult clients on each of the three occasions in the ones he’s known before under Klopp.
Of course, Liverpool are drastically different and better in every way than they were then, and player by player they are far superior to Sevilla now. Julen Lopetegui’s side have been mediocre in La Liga so far this season and suffered a 4-0 beating at home to Chelsea in the group stage, so apparently they shouldn’t be too much of a problem for Liverpool. .
That being said, because they don’t have players like Lionel Messi, Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann, they are much more likely to take a pragmatic approach of sitting in numbers, staying compact and looking to frustrate rather than playing the expansive type. style that Liverpool typically trashes. JR
The absolute worst scenario
Atletico Madrid
For some, the prospect of facing Atlético again is the ideal opportunity to exact revenge for what happened at Anfield in March, but the truth of the matter is that they are the toughest opponents Liverpool could have here, and also the worst. . tactical confrontation.
Diego Simeone’s team has been relentless in La Liga so far this season, undefeated in 10 games and conceding just two. They are also much more scorers than last season, with the addition of one Luis Suárez who added much-needed firepower to complement the exceptional talent of Joao Félix, who is increasingly living up to his billing as one of the most talented young people in Europe.
In addition, part of the fun of being in the Champions League is facing new teams and experiencing new challenges in different environments, so having Atlético again, so shortly after last season, would be devoid of intrigue in that regard. The build would be drenched in a relentless narrative about Liverpool’s need to ‘fight back’, the idea of which already feels exhausting. And, let’s be honest, the games would probably be grotesquely ugly and exhausting to watch.
Let someone else take care of them this time. JR
[ad_2]
