When asked this week whether the Europa League was an opportunity to bring in youth and periphery players, Jurgen Klopp said that Liverpool were in the league to “compete and not give out opportunities.” The reverse was true throughout the first half of this game.
By making 11 substitutions from their team that defeated Wolves last Saturday, the Reds opened up a plenty of possibilities. And they didn’t put up much of a fight in the first quarter. The Austrian team LASK was physically superior, tactically shrewd, and took advantage of Liverpool’s numerous flaws.
However, Klopp’s squad maintained their season-long Jekyll-and-Hyde act by coming back from a 1-0 deficit to win for the fourth time in the previous five games. Liverpool fell down to a brilliant strike, but they responded with two goals in seven minutes to take control of the game and cruise to a comfortable win.
In Liverpool’s first Europa League encounter since the 2016 final, three different players found the back of the net: Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, and Mo Salah off the bench.
Where should we begin our examination of them? Do we remember the lackluster first-half performances, or the silky football that blew away the opposition after halftime?
One may argue that if they continued to play badly, a more formidable opponent like Manchester City or Arsenal would likely put the game out of reach. He may not have gotten off to a perfect start, but his 13 points out of 15 in the league and his triumph in Europe will give him confidence.
“We had very good moments, but suffered a lot from the lesser moments,” Klopp said. Anger escalated. The guys were wrong; the first half had some excellent moments. This makes me very pleased. I anticipated that it would be tough. It was a fair reward.
Newspapers in the area wished LASK well in their next season in the Austrian Bundesliga on the top page, and many supporters agreed that this match was the most glamorous in the club’s history. The group’s response was huge, and they seemed to enjoy the chaotic energy of the Stehplatz Tribune.
Thomas Sageder’s squad gave up a lot of possession early on, but they didn’t give Liverpool much room to exploit. They tore apart a vulnerable Reds midfield that had three rookie starters in Wataru Endo, Ryan Gravenberch, and Harvey Elliott.
Linzer Athletik Sport Klub (LASK) took the lead in the 13th minute when Florian Flecker tipped in a corner kick from the outside of the box. When Marin Ljubicic was denied by a last-ditch block from Virgil Van Dijk, they almost scored again.
The Reds had opportunities in the first half, with Darwin Nunez coming close twice (the second time being brilliantly stopped by Tobias Lawal from close range), but Klopp’s side didn’t start to really threaten until after the interval.
Nunez calmly put away the penalty after Luis Diaz was fouled in the box by Philipp Ziereis, who up until that moment had been the undisputed defensive MVP of the match.
Seven minutes later, Diaz scored after Elliott released the lanky Gravenberch on the right wing. The Dutchman was making his first start for the club after being acquired on Deadline Day from Bayern Munich.
It’s a testament to LASK that Klopp felt compelled to use five starters off the bench, including Mo Salah, Alexis Mac Allister, and this year’s MVP Dominik Szoboszlai.
Salah scored the third for Liverpool after beating one defender and putting the ball between Lawal’s legs in the 88th minute, proving once again that Klopp’s bench can produce magic.
When asked whether they thought Klopp’s team will breeze through the tournament, he said, “No.” We need to take a firm stance.
