MY ACCOUNT
Michael Owen reckons Liverpool failed to put their Champions League semi-final with Villarreal to bed due to negative substitutions by Jurgen Klopp.
The Reds will take a 2-0 lead to Spain next week after the Yellow Submarine failed to threaten their goal once last night at Anfield.
Klopp made four subs, including sending on Joe Gomez for Trent Alexander-Arnold with just under 10 minutes to go.
And the former Liverpool and Manchester United striker was less than impressed with the German’s decision.
Owen, 42, said: “Villarreal have just got a pulse. If Liverpool nicked another one it would have been game, set and match.
“I thought he made substitutions that almost didn’t promote going for an extra goal.
“Joe Gomez for Trent for starters is much more defensive when your right-back is one of the most attacking players you’ve got on the pitch.
“I thought maybe not that he was settling for two, but I thought he was comfortable and rested a couple of legs.
“They’re going to have to go out there knowing that the game is still alive. It’s still got something in it.
“If they concede the first goal, it’s really alive. An extra goal tonight would have put it to bed.”
Liverpool will ‘suffer’ in Spain
Villarreal have been criticised in some quarters for their negative approach to the match on Merseyside.
While boss Unai Emery knows Liverpool deserved their victory, he has promised a different team when Klopp’s side visit Estadio de la Ceramica next Tuesday.
“We can’t say anything about the victory because they deserve it. The first half for us was really good,” Emery said.
“They had two or three chances to score. But the second half was the same and they pushed and they deserved to score. 2-0 is a good difference for them.
“For us, it’s not a good result but we are going to dream to do something in our home with our supporters.
“The match next week will be very different to tonight’s. It’s very important to change something next week in our home, maybe tactically.
“I think they are going to suffer more next week in our home.”
And Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara, who has played against Villarreal in LaLiga for Barcelona, has warned his team-mates it will be a difficult evening.
Thiago, 31, said: “It will be hard there, I know this stadium before because of my time at Barcelona.
“But we don’t have time to think about the game there, we have to think about our game at the weekend, so that’s all for us.”
The Quadruple-chasing Reds visit Newcastle on Saturday aiming to supplant title rivals Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.
