Rio Ferdinand thinks there was one “mistake” Jurgen Klopp made over the course of Liverpool’s Champions League tie against Barcelona.
The five-time European champions will take on Ajax or Tottenham in Madrid on June 1 after digging deep to overturn last week’s 3-0 first-leg defeat at the Nou Camp.
Divock Origi put Liverpool ahead after just seven minutes and the hosts kicked on in the second half as Anfield witnessed a night that will live long in the memory.
Georginio Wijnaldum came off the bench to score a quickfire brace, before Origi turned home Trent Alexander-Arnold’s smart corner to seal a 4-0 win and progress 4-3 on aggregate.
And Ferdinand thinks Klopp‘s decision to play Joe Gomez over Alexander-Arnold in the first leg in Spain was a “mistake”.
“It’s the modern-day full-back, you want them to defend and get forward,” Ferdinand told BT Sport.
“I think the range in their play, in terms of when they get into the final third, they can whip it from outside of the box, they can get into the box, they cut the ball back.
“I just think their all-round game, both of them [Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson], is fantastic. It’s almost a mini competition within the team – who can get the most assists.
“Maybe, in the Camp Nou, with hindsight which is a beautiful thing if you could have it, [not selecting] Trent Alexander-Arnold was the one mistake you could look back on, he could have done differently.
“He went with Joe Gomez, out of the wilderness with a long injury and is mainly a centre-back.
“But I understand [why Gomez was picked] because of his defensive responsibilities were huge, Barca’s left side is such a strong part of their game.”