Jürgen Klopp Highlights His Concerns for Liverpool's Champions League Second Leg Tie Against Porto
Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp has insisted his side must keep a watchful eye on Porto forward Moussa Marega when they travel to Portugal for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
The Reds defeated their opponents 2-0 at Anfield on Tuesday night after first-half scores from Naby Keita and Roberto Firmino, though there were several tense moments for the hosts.
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Marega was presented with three clear openings during the contest, only to be denied by Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson. Despite taking a healthy lead into the return fixture next week Klopp is adamant that his men must be wary of the threat the 27-year-old poses.
The Dragons striker twice came close to getting his name on the scoresheet in the opening period, being left frustrated by Alisson's reflexes on both occasions. The Brazilian once again denied Marega after the break, comfortably stopping the latter's low drive.
Despite the Mali international's wastefulness, Klopp was noticeably concerned by his raw power. After the match the Reds boss said (as quoted by the Liverpool Echo): "We had to defend a few too many balls in the last line, which they did well with. You saw how physically strong the striker [Marega] is. Unbelievable!.
"And I heard outside that he was a little bit ill. If he’s not ill, it will be a really tough one in Portugal!"
The German indicated that his team need to be more disciplined at Estádio do Dragão if they are to reach the Champions League semi-finals, believing dead-ball situations to be one of Porto's best avenues of attack.
He stated: "[We gave away] probably a few too many set-pieces, because they are really good at that and you don’t want to give too many of them away.
"That’s how it is. But we defended them well. The problem was a little bit that in the second-half we gave a few counter-attacks away, then we had to control it a bit more.
"We lost a bit of direction and didn’t play that clear any more," the 51-year-old continued. "We were still around the box and all that stuff, but for defending the counter-attacks we had to work really hard, and that costs you a little bit of rhythm."
