Liverpool won’t worry about a potential transfer plan despite Erling Haaland’s fury last night. Pep Lijnders knows the truth with a little help from Neymar.

Joško Gvardiol is currently one of the most wanted defenders in the world. The Croatian centre-back, just 21, is seen as an elite prospect, with the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea linked with his signing as he develops at RB Leipzig.

Gvardiol is understandably tipped for greatness, but on Tuesday night he suffered a real embarrassment on Europe’s biggest stage. His Leipzig side met Manchester City in the Champions League Round of 16 and ended up losing by an incredible seven goals to nil.

Never before has a team lost so far in the Champions League round of 16, with Erling Haaland even scoring five times on his own. Pep Guardiola’s outfit proved clinical throughout the top-flight clash but Gvardiol need not worry as he now shares parallels with a certain Virgil van Dijk.

It was December 2013 and the Liverpool centre-back was just 22 years old. The Dutchman had yet to appear on English shores and remained at Celtic, Scotland’s biggest club alongside Rangers. Van Dijk’s side qualified for the Champions League after winning the domestic league the previous season. In their group, Celtic were drawn against mighty Barcelona, ​​who at the time boasted an outrageous attacking duo of Messi and Neymar, with Luis Suárez joining the following year.

The game took place at Camp Nou and after 90 minutes Barcelona emerged 6-1 winners, even without Messi. Alone, Neymar was able to inflict brutal damage, scoring three goals and registering one assist. Van Dijk played the whole game and – although his side conceded six goals – he actually played well and offered a glimpse of his level as a future star of the sport.

The Dutch international then joined Southampton from Celtic before joining Liverpool at the age of 26 for a record transfer fee. He has since established himself as the best centre-back in the world, even finishing second in the Ballon d’Or in 2019, with Messi winning the prestigious award.

The 6-1 loss to Barcelona looked bleak for Van Dijk, as did the 7-0 loss to Manchester City for Gvardiol, but both results show how much defense is first and foremost a team exercise. A capable person can look bad when the system around them is torn apart by the quality of their opposition – be it Neymar or Haaland – something Jurgen Klopp needs to reckon with.

This season, his Liverpool side have shown themselves to be far from their usual selves, conceding goals and leaving the defensive side of the game wide open. Van Dijk hasn’t been watching closely and the same goes for his partners in the back, such as Joël Matip, Ibrahima Konaté and Joe Gomez.

However, rather than everyone throwing themselves off a cliff with their performances collectively, it’s more reasonable to assume that Liverpool’s system as a whole wasn’t as protective as it was. In 38 Premier League games last season, the Reds conceded just 26 goals. This season, however, they have played 26 games and conceded 29 goals.

Klopp, now sixth in the Premier League table, will have to solve his squad’s problems this summer if he is to restore his status as a giant next season. It won’t be an easy task, but he has to come back to the idea that defense is a team activity. Klopp’s assistant Pep Lijnders once said that “you need 22 legs and two gloves to avoid goals”, and his words have never been more relevant as Liverpool aim to restore the old level, while Gvardiol it is also considered a future market target.

Also..

Real Madrid 1-0 Liverpool: goals and highlights – as it happens. Champions League 22/23

Real Madrid have a three-goal lead to defend as they host Liverpool and look to secure a place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Good evening everyone and welcome to another English MARCA live blog, this time covering the huge Champions League comeback between Real Madrid and Liverpool at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. Three weeks after the 5-2 defeat at Anfield, Liverpool travel to Spain for the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie against Real Madrid.

The Reds took an early two-goal lead in the first match, but Blancos made an impressive comeback and are favorites to qualify for the quarter-finals.

After beating Manchester United 7-0 at home, Liverpool could not get past Bournemouth, who beat Jurgen Klopp’s side 1-0 on Saturday. As for Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti’s men secured another victory on Saturday, this time against Espanyol. The Catalan side took the lead through Joselu but Vinicius Junior, Eder Militao and Marco Asensio each scored one to turn things around.

Real Madrid vs Liverpool Live: Latest Updates

Match ends, Real Madrid 1, Liverpool 0.
94

Second Half ends, Real Madrid 1, Liverpool 0.
93

Konstantinos Tsimikas (Liverpool) is shown the yellow card for dangerous fouls. 93

Dani Ceballos (Real Madrid) wins a free kick on the right wing.
93

Foul by Konstantinos Tsimikas (Liverpool).
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to delay. You are ready to move on.
93

VAR decision: No Real Madrid penalty. 91

Attempt blocked. Rodrygo (Real Madrid) right footed shot from the center of the box. Assisted by Lucas Vazquez.
90

Substitution, Liverpool. Fabio Carvalho replaces Cody Gakpo. 90

Replacement Liverpool. Konstantinos Tsimikas replaces Andrew Robertson.
89

Foul by Harvey Elliott (Liverpool).
89

Nacho (Real Madrid) wins a free kick on the left wing.
85

Replacement Real Madrid. Lucas Vazquez replaces Daniel Carvajal.
84

Corner kick, Liverpool. Corner kick caused by Antonio Rudiger.
84

Foul by Eder Militao (Real Madrid).
84

Cody Gakpo (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half. 83

Substitution, Real Madrid. Aurélien Tchouaméni replaces Toni Kroos.
83

Substitution, Real Madrid. Marco Asensio replaces Vinicius Junior.
82

Foul by Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid). 82

Harvey Elliott (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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attempt saved. Harvey Elliott (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked in the left corner. Assisted by Fabinho.
81

Replacement Real Madrid. Rodrygo replaces Karim Benzema through injury.
81

Replacement Real Madrid. Dani Ceballos replaces Luka Modric.
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Aim! 1-0 against Real Madrid, 0 against Liverpool. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) shoots with a right footed shot from the center of the box. 76

Corner kick, Liverpool. Corner kick caused by Federico Valverde.
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Attempt failed. Daniel Carvajal (Real Madrid) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
74

Foul by Eder Militao (Real Madrid). 74

Cody Gakpo (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the left wing.
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Éder Militao (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
73

Foul by Harvey Elliott (Liverpool).
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Replacement Liverpool. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain replaces James Milner. 69

Luka Modric (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
69

Dangerous play by Ibrahima Konaté (Liverpool).
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attempt failed. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) right footed shot from the center of the six yard box is a bit high. Assisted by Vinicius Júnior. 62

Attempt failed. Federico Valverde (Real Madrid) header from the center of the box is blocked.
57

Corner kick, Liverpool. Corner kick caused by Daniel Carvajal.
56

Substitution, Liverpool. Roberto Firmino replaces Darwin Nunez.
56

Replacement Liverpool. Harvey Elliott replaces Diogo Jota.
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Handball by Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid).
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attempt blocked. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) right footed shot from the center of the box is blocked. Assisted by Vinicius Júnior.
54

Daniel Carvajal (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
54

Foul by Darwin Nunez (Liverpool).
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Éder Militao (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 53

Foul by Cody Gakpo (Liverpool).
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Attempt saved. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) right footed shot is saved by the goalkeeper! The shot from the center of the area is saved in the center of the goal. Assisted by Federico Valverde.
52

Attempt saved. Federico Valverde (Real Madrid) right footed shot from the middle of the box is blocked in the middle of the goal. Assisted by Karim Benzema with a through ball.
51

Offside, Real Madrid. Eduardo Camavinga tries a through ball, but Vinícius Júnior is caught offside.
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Daniel Carvajal (Real Madrid) wins a free kick on the right wing. 51

Foul by Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool).
50

Nacho (Real Madrid) wins a free kick on the left wing.
50

Foul by Diogo Jota (Liverpool).
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Foul by Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid).
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James Milner (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 49

Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
49

Foul by Diogo Jota (Liverpool).
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Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
47

Foul by Diogo Jota (Liverpool).
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Corner kick, Liverpool. Corner kick caused by Daniel Carvajal.
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Second Half begins Real Madrid 0, Liverpool 0.
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First Half ends, Real Madrid 0, Liverpool 0.
46

Corner kick, Liverpool. Corner kick caused by Antonio Rudiger. 45

Attempt blocked. The right-footed shot from outside the area is blocked.
45

Daniel Carvajal (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
45

Foul by Darwin Núñez (Liverpool).
44

Real Madrid offside. Toni Kroos tries a through ball, but Federico Valverde is caught offside.
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Liverpool offside. Andrew Robertson tries a through ball, but Cody Gakpo is caught offside.
42

Foul by Federico Valverde (Real Madrid).
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42

Foul by Federico Valverde (Real Madrid).
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Ibrahima Konaté (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
39

Toni Kroos (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
39

Foul by Fabinho (Liverpool).
39

Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 39

Foul by Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool).
37

Foul by Mohamed Salah (Liverpool).
37

Nacho (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
36

Offside. James Milner tries a through ball, but Diogo Jota is flagged for offside. 36

Attempt blocked. James Milner (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
35

Corner kick, Liverpool. Corner kick caused by Karim Benzema.
35

Corner kick, Liverpool. Corner kick caused by Thibaut Courtois.
35

Attempt saved. Cody Gakpo (Liverpool) right footed shot by the goalkeeper is saved! Attempt saved from the right side of the box in the upper right corner. Assisted by Diogo Jota.
34

Attempt saved. Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid) right footed shot from the right is saved in the goalkeeper! The attempt from the left side of the box is saved.
33

Attempt failed. Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool) right footed shot from the left side of the box following a corner.
32

Corner kick, Liverpool. Corner kick caused by Thibaut Courtois. 32

attempt saved. Darwin Núñez (Liverpool) right footed shot from the left side of the six yard box sees his shot blocked.
32

Offside, Real Madrid. Éder Militão tries a through ball, but Karim Benzema is caught offside.
30

attempt saved. Darwin Núñez (Liverpool) header saved by the goalkeeper!
28

Foul by Nacho (Real Madrid).
28

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the right wing.
26

Federico Valverde (Real Madrid) wins a free kick on the right wing.
26

Foul by James Milner (Liverpool). 25

attempt failed. Cody Gakpo (Liverpool) header from the center of the six yard box misses on the left. Assisted by Trent Alexander Arnold with a cross.
25

Offside, Real Madrid. Karim Benzema tries a through ball, but Vinícius Júnior is caught offside. 



Opportunities on both sides

Despite three goals for Real Madrid, the match is quite open and there was plenty of action from both sides. Alisson made two crucial saves with his counterpart Courtois also denying Darwin.
21

Attempt failed. Luka Modric (Real Madrid) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
20

Corner, Real Madrid. Corner kick caused by James Milner.
19

Attempt saved. Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid) left footed shot by the goalkeeper is saved! Attempt saved from outside the area to the top right. Assist by Nacho.
17

Attempt failed. Diogo Jota (Liverpool) left footed shot from the center of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Mohamed Salah.
16

Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
16

Foul by Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool).
13

Attempt saved. Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid) right footed shot from the right is saved in the goalkeeper! The shot from the right side of the goal area is saved high in the center of the goal. Assisted by Antonio Rüdiger with a header.
13

Corner, Real Madrid. Corner kick caused by Cody Gakpo.
11

Corner kick, Liverpool. Compensation by Antonio Rüdiger.
ten

attempt saved. Toni Kroos (Real Madrid) left footed shot from outside the box sees his shot blocked.
ten

attempt blocked. Federico Valverde (Real Madrid) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. ten

Corner, Real Madrid. Collected by Fabinho.
8th

Corner, Real Madrid. Cashed in by James Milner.
7

attempt failed. Federico Valverde (Real Madrid) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Toni Kroos following a free kick.
6

Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) wins a free kick on the left wing.
6

Foul by Trent Alexander Arnold (Liverpool).
6

attempt saved. Darwin Núñez (Liverpool) right footed shot from the center of the box is saved.
5

attempt blocked. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) left footed shot to the right of the six yard box is blocked.
4

Corner, Real Madrid. Goal conceded by Ibrahima Konaté.

2
Offside, Real Madrid. Toni Kroos tries a through ball, but Karim Benzema is caught offside.

0
First Half begins.