Klopp’s selection risk pays off as Liverpool move step closer to final | Jamie Jackson

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The manager made seven changes from the quarter-final first leg with Benfica but there was still enough quality on show

The dream is alive, the dream is still tantalisingly feasible yet agonisingly remote. Liverpool are in a third Champions League semi-final under Jürgen Klopp and if a fantasy for a plethora of reasons but mainly its sheer, basic difficulty, a historic quadruple remains on for the German’s band that blends artists and artisans.

On Wednesday it was the turn of the latter coterie. Well, kind of. Klopp rested seven of the star turns who started last week’s 3-1 first leg win at Benfica. There was no Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mané, Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, Thiago Alcântara or Fabinho. And this after their manager had said: “You can never feel entitled. Clubs and teams who are planning the next stage before a particular round is complete are inviting problems.”

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from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2022/apr/13/klopps-selection-risk-pays-off-as-liverpool-close-in-on-final

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