Jurgen Klopp has picked his defining moment in last years Champions League defeat in the build up to their second consecutive European final on Saturday.
Liverpool lost 3-1 to Real Madrid after a Gareth Bale double handed the Spanish giants their fourth consecutive Champions League triumph.
Speaking to BT Sport on Friday, Jurgen Klopp described the injury picked up by Salah as a game changing moment and cruel and something which affected his team massively. The German said: “The world is like that, it was a turning point in that game. We are a completely different side to the team who played there in this game!”
Mo Salah was influential in getting his side to last years final but played a backseat role this season, missing out on his team’s memorable comeback against Barcelona at Anfield, where they overturned a three goal deficit.
OPINION
There is no hiding the fact that the occasion definitely got to Liverpool when they took on Real Madrid in the Champions League final last year. The Reds’ side was arguably not ready for such a high magnitude fixture with their defensive structure not the best in that time. The arrival of Alisson Becker and the emergence of their incredible back four forming a much stronger partnership has turned them from a good side into an incredible side who go into the game as favourites. They were much more dependable on Salah in his first season at Anfield and the most impressive thing about this campaign is the shared responsibility between the front three. Sadio Mane especially has stepped up an incredible amount and has been one of the main reasons as to why they will be walking out in Madrid on Saturday. The Senegalese international has been the most consistent forward in the side and scored the same amount of goals as Salah this season. Should an injury occur once again in the final, Liverpool are much more well prepared for the eventuality.
