Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has revealed what was discussed at half-time against Villarreal after bouncing back to clinch their spot in the UEFA Champions League final.
The Reds had won the first leg at Anfield 3-1 but the Yellow Submarine squared the tie with first-half goals from Boulaye Dia and Francis Coquelin.
But Liverpool rallied after the break, to run out 3-2 winners and clinch a spot in the decider against either Real Madrid or Manchester City.
Fabinho pulled one back in the 62nd minute under Villarreal keeper Jeronimo Rulli, before half-time substitute Luis Diaz made it 2-2 five minutes later after marginally being onside.
Sadio Mane clinched the victory when he got in behind the defence to round Rulli for the third goal in the 74th minute.
“The start was obviously really difficult for us to take, we were obviously impressed by that,” Klopp told reporters. “We had no real build-up, we didn’t play in the right spaces, all of a sudden we just kicked long balls and tried to force it.
“We had dangers, but never enough to get a little bit of momentum. So we just explained to the boys where we have to play, what we have to do, where we have to be stronger and where we have to move smarter because obviously in the first half we didn’t move enough.
“We couldn’t find the midfielders in the half-space because they were not there, the front three were too fixed: Sadio left, Mo (Salah) right and Diogo (Jota) in the centre.
“There was no flexibility so we had to mix that up definitely, to cause them more problems. Because of their very man-orientated defending we played in their hands and that’s what we had to change.”
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