Liverpool fans were frustrated with their club performance on Tuesday night which resulted in a goalless draw against Bayern Munich last night at Anfield.
The Merseyside club were in front of their supporters and many thought they would explore home advantage over their opponents which they never did throughout the game.
Instead, the host were complacent in front of goal and they wasted so many goalscoring opportunities.
Sadio Mane and Mohammed Salah didn’t really look like the player we often see in the League as they both missed glorious chances to give the team a much needed victory.
At the other end of the pitch, Poland international Robert Lewandowski was quiet throughout the duration of the game.
With Arjen Robben’s injury and Frank Ribery’s omission from the starting XI, all eyes were on him to trouble the host’s defenders but it was Serge Gnabry who stole the show.
The former Arsenal man was all over Robertson and he made light walk over the defender in couple of times but failed to provide the needed away goal.
The Allianz Arena outfits came close to breaking the deadlock in the 13th minute when Joel Matip almost concede an own-goal when his clearance was heading into his net until Alisson met the ball with his chest.
After many failed attempts from both sides, it ended in stalemate and Liverpool fans, manager and players couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
Despite the result, Liverpool fans have some reasons to be positive ahead of the return leg next month. Yesterday’s result might not be the best but it’s not the worst either.
Football Weeks has come up with three important reasons why the Merseyside club should be happy with yesterday’s outcome…
No Away Goal Scored
It would have been a huge mountain to climb in the return leg supposing the Bavarians found the back of the net. Luckily, both sides settled for a goalless draw which means there is more to play for at Allianz Arena.
The defenders got the job done – even if it wasn’t easy – without the presence of their inspirational centre-back Virgil Dirk who was suspended for the game.
Emergency centre-back Fabinho showed his defensive qualities once again as he prevented Lewandowski from having a great time on the pitch.
Though, the outcome wasn’t the best, it wasn’t the worst either and the Reds have got to be happy with their performance against Bayern Munich.
We have listed one — out of three — reason(s) why the Merseyside fans and players should be glad with Tuesday’s result, here is the concluding part of the list…
History could be Repeated in Germany
Let’s cast our mind back to the 1981 Champions League competition which was won by the Reds. That was the last time the Bundesliga Champions played a goalless draw at Anfield and Liverpool’s then-manager Bob Paisley led the team to the European glory in style.
38 years later, we could be set for a repeat of fortune as Jurgen Klopp will lead his players to a familiar ground next month, hoping to book his place in the quarter-final round of the competition.
Any score draw is enough to see them defeat the Bavarians on aggregate and who says that’s impossible?
If they could journeyed their way through to last season’s final match which they lost 3-1 to Real Madrid, there’s a great possibility they can move a step further by winning the crown this time.
Bayern Munich are struggling for form
Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti’s Bayern Munich are different from Niko Kovac’s team. These present team are struggling for form and any side could defeat them without losing sweat.
Kovac’s decision to integrate young players into his team at the start of the season hasn’t really produced a desired result.
The team struggle to score goals and they equally struggle to keep clean sheet. They labored to a 3-2 win over Augsburg in the domestic league prior to yesterday’s clash with Liverpool which shows that there’s hope for Klopp’s men.
However, Jurgen Klopp must charge his attackers to up their game in the reverse fixture if they must progress to the next round at the expense of the German club.
Luckily for the Red, right-back Joshua Kimmich is suspended for the return leg after picking up another caution Anfield. This means Jurgen Klopp’s side could explore the ‘relatively weak’ right-back position next month.
The contest is far from finish, both teams have equal chance of making it to the quarter-final, however, Bayern Munich will be under huge pressure not to concede the first goal of the game.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed as we patiently await the reverse fixture next month.