Liverpool must ensure they are both patient and savvy when they face Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.
The Reds host the La Liga giants in the second leg of their last 16 clash on Wednesday night, looking to overturn a 1-0 deficit.
It promises to be another atmospheric night at Anfield, as Jurgen Klopp’s men aim to produce another dominant home European showing.
It is set to be a tie that is separated by narrow margins, and while Liverpool are likely to dominate the contest in terms of possession, they won’t have it all their own way against one of the most expertly-drilled defensive teams of this generation.
In their famous 4-0 win over Barcelona last season, the Reds showed patience, taking an early lead but not going for the jugular too soon. They were content with a 1-0 half-time advantage, biding their time as the match went on.
Liverpool must use that game as inspiration, making sure they don’t panic if the scoreline remains goalless as the night goes on. Even an early Atletico goal shouldn’t cause a meltdown, even though having to score three against such a stubborn rearguard will be an extremely tough task.
On top of that, Atletico are likely to master the dark arts throughout the evening, egged on by the snide-but-brilliant Diego Simeone on the touchline. They will waste every second possible, make the most of fouls and do their best to get Liverpool players into trouble.
With Diego Costa potentially leading the line for the visitors, they have one of the great poster boys for these sort of antics – someone who will insist his teammates copy him.
Back in 2014, when Liverpool lost against Chelsea to all but blow their chances of winning the Premier League title, the Reds succumbed to frustration. They allowed the Blues’ tactics to get to them and their performance fell apart because of it.
This is a completely different team these days, of course, under a more experienced manager, but it is easy to an envisage a similar outcome, with Simeone sprinting onto the pitch at the final whistle, having outmaneuvered the European champions.
While Liverpool don’t need to produce the perfect performance that was required against Barca last season, a mature one is needed against the kings of the snide.
Getting through this tie would feel big, but the Reds won’t achieve it without a huge amount of intelligence.
