Liverpool were beaten 1-0 by Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds last night.
Brazilian international Alisson Becker has now reflected on the performance of his side over the two legs and questioned the attitude of his teammates.
Although Liverpool were not humiliated by Real Madrid in the second leg and they lost the game by a margin of justice one goal, they were clearly lacking in intensity and effort throughout the contest.
Liverpool were expected to come out flying from the start and try to reduce the 5-2 deficit from the first leg. Instead, Liverpool were subdued in their approach and barely managed to create any clear-cut opportunity throughout the game.
Senior players like Mohamed Salah, Fabinho, and James Milner were expected to lead by example but they were quite underwhelming with their performances themselves.
Alisson has now revealed that he tried his best on the pitch and came away from the game with his head held high. He was undoubtedly the best player on the pitch and produced a number of world-class saves to deny Real Madrid.
“I think that every moment of the season had its reason and today we can say that it was the attitude of the players on the field. Perhaps because of the first game, which was a very elastic score. Coming here, beating Real Madrid away from home, it’s hard to… speaking as a human being now, it’s hard for you to create that expectation of qualifying,” Alisson told TNT Sports.
“Now, man, I’m wearing the Liverpool shirt, I’m going to play against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu. The least I have to do is give my best. So that’s my thought, I believe I did my best, I leave here with a clear head. And now speaking as a team, we have much more to do. And this season of ups and downs, every moment had its reason.
“We had injuries, I think we don’t like to talk about it in football. ‘We’re not going to use it as an excuse, but the injuries certainly hurt us. Now we only have one player left out, so that’s no longer an excuse. It’s been like this for over a month now.
“We had a fantastic, incredible game against United. Soon after, an inexplicable game against Bournemouth. And against Real Madrid, it’s not that we played badly, but we didn’t play enough to tie the game. There was a lack of attitude, a lot was lacking on our part.”
[morestorie slatest]
Judging by the interview, he was clearly unhappy with the attitude and lack of effort from his teammates.
It has been a dismal campaign for Liverpool so far and they are likely to end the season without a trophy.
It remains to be seen whether Liverpool can bounce back strongly from the Champions League exit and finish the Premier League campaign strongly and secure Champions League qualification for the next season. Missing out on the Champions League would be a devastating blow for the club in terms of finances as well as transfers.