As Liverpool held off a Villarreal comeback to reach the Champions League final, Jurgen Klopp learned valuable lessons about his players.Because of the high stakes, Champions League semi-finals aren't the best place for managers to learn about their teams.
But for Jurgen Klopp, the win over Villarreal on Tuesday was more than simply a ticket to the final of Europe's premier cup competition later this month in Paris.
It also provided the German with some significant insights into his side, which could be crucial in extending his quadruple campaign, which was extended by win in Spain.Klopp probably didn't appreciate the start of that learning process — an uncharacteristically bad first-half showing he'd rather forget.
With 'the most dangerous lead in football,' it was critical that the visitors did not lose an early goal that would instill confidence in the home crowd.
Despite this, they plotted to do just that, twice failing to prevent crosses until Boulaye Dia poked home the game-winning goal for El Madrigal.That early goal set the tone for a first half in which Liverpool was pressured (65.5 percent passing accuracy) and bullied out of the game (45.6 percent duels won) for long stretches.
So they could have no complaints about going into half-time tied on aggregate, afraid Villarreal would become only the second side in Champions League semi-final history to overcome a two-goal deficit.Of course, Liverpool were the ones that pulled off the previous comeback, overcoming Barcelona's three-goal lead to win the 2018-19 edition of the championship.
Nonetheless, with their first-half attempts to avoid history repeating themselves failing, it appeared inevitable that adjustments would be made at halftime.The main surprise was Klopp's decision to make only one change, replacing Diogo Jota with Luis Diaz but keeping his starting midfield trio intact.
However, the outcomes of that tiny modification were difficult to argue with: a flawless second-half performance that turned a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 victory.
That's good news for Diaz, who had a game-high four shots and a well-taken goal to cap off another brilliant performance.But it's not looking good for Jota, who only won two of six duels and completed six of nine passes before being benched at halftime.
In midfield, there were also contrasting fortunes, with Naby Keita providing the most dramatic comeback from a midfield three that appeared lost in the first 45 minutes.
Jordan Henderson was going through a strong warm-up shortly after half-time, and it didn't look like he'd last much longer.But, like his teammates in the engine room, he stepped it up a notch on his way to 21 passes in the opposition half, three tackles, and 11 possession regains (more than any other player on the pitch) by the end of the game.
With the important games coming thick and fast in the coming weeks, the ramifications of these performances will almost certainly go beyond clinching Liverpool's third Champions League final berth under Klopp.The manager now has a better notion of which players he can rely on to deliver on the greatest of stages as he leads an implausible quadruple bid to a dramatic climax.
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