2021-22 UEFA Champions League

The whole Trent thing is tired at this stage. He is a wonderful footballer being asked to play a position and role that don't match with traditional expectations of themselves and gets judged on that historical view of what a right back is.

That's where Klopp wants him, should really be enough for ppl

He's made some really important blocks/last ditch challenges in just the last couple of weeks. He's been excellent this season defensively in my opinion

any time I hear 'Trent is bad defensively', I honestly just shake my head.

the only ones who peddle it are either trolling, or they don't understand the Klopp system.

Trent is not expected to do what a traditional right back does. Klopp's current system is partly designed to accentuate the brilliance that Trent offers. This is why Liverpool's midfield tends to be underrated, and why you can spot someone who doesn't watch Liverpool games a mile off. Our press is so efficient, that the midfield end up sweeping up for the full backs, as designed.

He can defend fine, but he is not primarily there to defend his goal. He is primarily there to put pressure on the opposition's defence with his outrageous passing ability. He puts the ball in places nobody else can from his position. that is what Klopp expects from him.

If your preferred system needs your right back to be able to run up and down the flanks and put in brilliant challenges, go ahead.

Klopp has decided to build a system around the guy's ridiculous talent on the ball. Gareth Southgate will either never start Trent, or Trent will always look very ordinary at RB for England, because he looks at football the way managers did a decade or more ago. So Trent will be expected to defend, overlap and do that traditional, boring, non-innovative stuff. and so for the rest of his career, he'll get 'you can't defend' thrown at him.

it's grand. he can retire from international football at 27 because they're a bunch of eejits, and we'll keep him to ourselves until he retires.

I'm not saying he's not had weak moments defensively. that'd be absurd to say. as I say, he's fine defensively, and the numbers back it up in terms of duels etc.

but with the way the role of the RB has evolved in this system, he's not expected to be defending in the same way RBs of yesteryear do. and yes, that is partly down to how good a team he plays in.

So if we're saying his weak defensively, it's akin to saying Beckham was weak defensively, because Trent isn't really a RB in any traditional sense. they both occupy the same side of the field and I would guess that their heat maps would be similar, and they both have cover behind them most of the time.

UEFA: "We strongly advise fans without a ticket not to travel to Paris"

Klopp in his press conference this afternoon: "Paris is big enough that fans should travel even if they don't have a ticket if they can"

😀 Love the man. He gets it

We're just fortunate to have bad full backs that won't be poached by one of the big clubs.

It's mad alright, particularly how much of it likely goes back to historical national perception. The UK has always been self-celebratory with its colonial history, and I think that's something that's never left their image of themselves and the language used when it comes to 'englishness' on all subjects, from politics to sport. It's somewhat taboo to paint the national image in a negative light regardless of context. Think that applies to most superpowers really.

Out of nothing.

Looks like they are looking at the top leagues more. Not unexpected

Absolutely idiotic that this wasnt foreseen.

Could they not have picked another venue which wasnt hosting concerts the week before, there is hardly a shortage of venues.

Lots of interesting tactical battles & selections across the pitch.

I think the Real Madrid team fairly picks itself and then the big decisions for Klopp is Konate or Matip and the midfield with the recent injuries.

TAA v Vinicius Jr

Matip/Konate v Benzema

Midfield v midfield

Diaz v Carvajal

Think it might be a cagey affair. Ancelotti has good experience of shutting down Liverpool in recent years with Napoli and Everton so might try the same with Valverde playing deeper on the right to help out Carvajal against Diaz. A bit lobsided with Vinicius Jr allowed that freedom to 'cheat' a bit by keeping a higher starting position in a free-er role high and wide and not worry about tracking TAA instead focus on exploiting the space on the counter.

After all of Madrid’s miraculous comebacks it could well be a case of “name on the trophy. “. Hope so anyway.

Who's in commentary on RTE2 anyone know?

Please god not Ronnie, I will be changing the channel if that's the case.

Its' Darragh Maloney & Ronnie Whelan

Kick off delayed 15 mins.

Rumour's Thiago has pulled up in the warmed up. Poor bast**d that would be 2 finals this year where he has pulled up in the warm up!!!

15 minute delay to the start of the match due to Kremlins in the system. 😉