Fabio Capello praised Liverpool on Sky Italia for their execution of Jurgen Klopp’s tactics in their Champions League win over AC Milan on Tuesday, as quoted by TuttoMercatoWEB.
The Reds beat the Rossoneri 2-1 at the San Siro to top Group B with a 100% win record. They are the first English side to boast such a feat in the tournament, and eliminated Milan from European action this season thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah and Divock Origi.
Stefano Pioli’s side had to win to reach the last 16, as a draw would not have been enough to even fall into the Europa League. Instead, Atletico Madrid follow Liverpool through as runners-up, while Porto will play in UEFA’s secondary club competition after Christmas.
AC Milan frustrated former England manager Capello with how they tried to beat Liverpool on Tuesday. He believes Pioli should have tried something different after losing the reverse game 3-2 at Anfield, as Klopp’s men executed the German coach’s tactics down to a tee.
Capello also likened the two side’s efforts to motorsport. He felt the Reds played like a Formula One car, while Milan were comparable to its feeder series Formula 2.
“A Formula One [car] against a Formula Two [car],” Capello said. “The speed of execution, idea and game of the Reds was impressive. Milan, tactically, left [a lot] to be desired.
“They continued to play in the same way, not understanding that always playing on the same side without changing the game would go into difficulty.”
Liverpool make light work out of AC Milan and tough Group B draw
Liverpool made light work of Group B, despite UEFA drawing the Reds in one of the tougher pairings on paper. Klopp naming a makeshift side with top spot already secured was even not enough for Milan to get a result.
The Anfield natives ended the first round of the Champions League with an 11-point lead over Atletico Madrid. Milan will only blame themselves for letting Liverpool boast a 100% record, too, having delivered a flat display.
The lacklustre nature of the Rossoneri’s performance rightly mystified Capello. But you cannot take anything away from Liverpool’s performance to get the job done.
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