Atalanta 0 Liverpool 1 (3-1 agg): Are Klopp’s side out of gas – and should Salah be dropped?

Another bad night for Liverpool.

Jurgen Klopp’s side defeated Atalanta in their Europa League quarter-final second leg but could not overturn the 3-0 deficit they racked up from a horrible first-leg performance at Anfield last week.

They got the dream start they needed courtesy of Mohamed Salah’s early penalty but despite an improved display, Atalanta did not buckle and they duly progressed to the semi-finals.

Here, we analyse the main talking points in Bergamo, as Liverpool face up to just having one competition to focus on in the final weeks of the season.

Can this side rouse themselves in the title race?

It was not so long ago that the stars appeared to be aligning for Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool in their final months together. Alive in four competitions and among the favourites for each.

The Carabao Cup marked a first trophy collected in February but acts of self-sabotage brought a lamentable FA Cup exit at Manchester United, another competition has ended at the quarter-final stage with regrets.

And now there is just one thing left to chase. Six Premier League games remain for Liverpool to overtake Manchester City at the top of the table and something close to perfection is going to be needed if the title is to be wrestled back.

That currently looks beyond Klopp’s side. Too many chances are being wasted and this was another contest that fizzled out against an opponent that was deserving of its place in the semi-finals.

The Premier League trips to Fulham on Sunday and Everton next Wednesday have to bring maximum returns or the Klopp era will be destined to end in deflating fashion.

Phil Buckingham

Should Klopp consider resting Salah?

When you are searching for an evening of miracles in an attempt to overturn a 0-3 deficit, you typically want your best players on the field.

So, why was Mohamed Salah — Liverpool’s all-time leading goalscorer in Europe — substituted after 67 minutes with Liverpool just 1-0 up (1-3 down in the tie)? Salah’s penalty after seven minutes got Liverpool fans dreaming of an unlikely comeback but, in general play, he has not quite been looking himself in recent weeks.

That was crystallised towards the end of the first half when his attempted lob, after being set clear with only goalkeeper Juan Musso to beat, went awry.

Salah latches on to a ball over the top…

But his attempted lob comes off his shin…

… and bobbles well wide of goal.

A poorly executed finish when one-v-one is actually not uncommon for Salah, as we saw in the first half. He is a player who relies on high volume rather than deadly finishing — only four Premier League players average more shots than Salah’s 3.6 per 90 this season.

The more worrying sight is his diminishing threat in possession. Whether it is giving up the ball cheaply, running into trouble, or failing to make those devastating runs past the opposition full-back, things just are not quite right at the moment.

For Klopp, there are two obvious options. Keep starting Salah to allow him to regain his rhythm, or take the Egyptian out of the starting line-up in an attempt to rest him and reset his performances?

His standards have been so astronomical over the years, that anything below his elite heights has looked jarringly notable in recent games.

Mark Carey

What impact did Alexander-Arnold make?

Liverpool can count their blessings to have discovered Conor Bradley’s readiness to step up in 2024 but the return of Trent Alexander-Arnold has restored a lost dimension to Klopp’s side.

The right-back started his first game in over two months after recovering from his troublesome knee injury and his performance against Atalanta served as a reminder for what Liverpool have missed.

Trent Alexander-Arnold made a difference for Liverpool (Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Alexander-Arnold was key to the purposeful start that offered up the promise of a comeback. As well as winning the early penalty that cast Liverpool a lifeline, his cross deflecting off the hand of Matteo Ruggeri, the England international showcased his enviable passing range to turn defence into attacks.

The 25-year-old remains a very modern right-back, drifting in field to collect possession, often between the two central defenders. Not every pass came off but his range troubled Atalanta, an opponent that had consistently caused problems for Bradley seven days earlier.

Alexander-Arnold was not perfect, which is forgivable given he had not come through 90 minutes since early January, but he did help take Atalanta to places they had hoped to avoid.

Phil Buckingham

How attack rotations worked for Liverpool

In Liverpool’s forgettable first leg at Anfield, a lot of the frustration in their performance was that they were not able to play their usual game due to Atalanta’s relentless man-marking.

Whatever the outcome of the second leg, Klopp was keen to ensure that they did not suffer the same frustration in Bergamo. To combat Atalanta’s out-of-possession approach, Liverpool rotated positions all over the pitch, dragging players into areas that they were not comfortable with in an attempt to open up spaces.

The Atalanta vs Liverpool match dashboard, showing the threat timeline, territory, match stats, shot maps and pass networks

We have grown accustomed to Alexander-Arnold drifting into central areas between the centre-backs or into midfield, but seeing Andrew Robertson play as a temporary forward was a rarity — and the approach worked for long periods.

Andy Robertson found himself playing centre-forward occasionally (Isabella Bonotto/AFP via Getty Images)

Most commonly, it was Liverpool’s front three who were switching positions across the pitch. Cody Gakpo started as the central forward but would frequently drift over to the left and rotate with Luis Diaz, while other times he would drop deep to flick the ball forward to the onrushing Diaz or Salah — who himself was picking up positions in central areas.

The rotations on the ball did sometimes mean that Liverpool were a little open themselves when losing possession, but the overall approach was streets ahead of their performance last Thursday.

Mark Carey

What did Klopp say?

The Liverpool manager was satisfied with his side’s performance in winning in Bergamo, but admitted the damage had been done in the first leg on Merseyside.

“It was clear we gave ourselves a massive hurdle,” he told TNT Sports, the UK broadcaster. “I liked the game a lot tonight with the desire and power the boys showed. If Trent Alexander-Arnold had been a bit fitter we could have gone a bit longer, but it is insane that he has even played! In the end he was running out of gas.

“We won the game and that was the reaction we wanted to show. It was difficult and we knew it would be but they deserve to go through 100 per cent.

“We have to focus on the league and that is exactly what we will do from now. Tonight we won the game so we are back to winning ways. We have a few days to recover to go again against Fulham. That will be a different game but it will be tricky.”

What next for Liverpool?

Sunday, April 21: Fulham (A), Premier League, 4.30pm UK, 11.30am ET

Liverpool know they simply cannot afford any more slip-ups in the Premier League title race, so the pressure is on for the trip to Craven Cottage on Sunday. Fulham have proved awkward opponents in their three meetings with Klopp’s team this season — including two in the Carabao Cup semi-finals — but the Londoners have not beaten Liverpool on home soil since 2011.