Liverpool’s Europa League ambitions were shattered when they couldn’t recover from a significant deficit in their quarter-final against Atalanta.
After a surprising 3-0 loss at Anfield in the first leg, Jurgen Klopp’s team faced a daunting task in Italy.
Despite starting the second leg in Bergamo positively and earning a penalty in the fifth minute, which Mohamed Salah converted, Liverpool struggled to gain momentum.
They missed chances in the final third, allowing Atalanta to control the game comfortably.
Klopp made several substitutions during the second half, bringing off Salah and Luis Diaz in the 66th minute, followed by Dominik Szoboszlai, Trent Alexander, and Andrew Robertson in the 72nd and 79th minutes respectively.
Liverpool icon Peter Crouch, analyzing the match on TNT Sports, noted that Liverpool made their challenge “even tougher” by substituting Salah and Diaz.
He remarked, “Liverpool couldn’t find a way through… it became even more challenging without Salah and Diaz.”
While Salah and Diaz didn’t shine at their best on Thursday, Klopp also had to factor in Liverpool’s upcoming Premier League game against Fulham on Sunday.
Given the Reds’ need to win every match to keep pace with Manchester City in the title race, Klopp’s substitutions made sense.
Considering the tight schedule between matches and the need to secure league wins, Klopp’s rotation decisions were sensible and essential for Liverpool’s ambitions in both domestic and European competitions.
