Liverpool fans blast Milner at HT v Porto

OPINION

Liverpool midfielder James Milner certainly didn’t have his finest 45 minutes of football in the first half of his team’s Champions League quarter final second leg against Porto on Wednesday. The veteran midfielder looked just that, a veteran midfielder. He was too slow getting around the pitch and didn’t offer enough from a defensive or offensive point of view. It seemed that his primary function for much of the half was to give away free kicks. It was a strange decision from Jurgen Klopp to drop Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita – two players in wonderful form – for Milner and Georginio Wijnaldum. It certainly didn’t look like it was the right call for most of the first half. Wijnaldum and Milner really struggled too assert themselves and it looked like a worryingly passive midfield trio along with Fabinho. Klopp probably had Sunday’s Premier League clash with Cardiff City in mind when he picked the team, but Milner’s first half performance was enough to suggest the German might have got this one wrong.

Live4Liverpool has rounded up some of the best tweets below.

We have absolutely no control of this game right now. Milner and Wijnaldum might as well be on the bench.

— Lewis (@HuttonPlays) April 17, 2019

We are all over the place – Milner and Gini invisible so far

— CC (@CCYNWA86) April 17, 2019

https://twitter.com/jpflfc/status/1118593550290124800

https://twitter.com/Reds1up/status/1118593448079183874

Liverpool midfield gone missing. You'll get that with the turgid Milner. Like watching a 15 wheeler turn corners

— Steve McVeigh (@Boxingscience20) April 17, 2019