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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Tom Cavilla

'Crime against the club's history' - What happened to the Liverpool team selection that convinced Steven Gerrard to leave

Eight years have passed since Liverpool's infamous Champions League group stage meeting with Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.

Beaten 3-0 at Anfield a fortnight prior, the Reds fielded a side that took many people by surprise for the return match with the Spanish giants in Madrid.

Making seven changes to his starting XI, then Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers picked a team featuring the likes of Fabio Borini and Joe Allen while star names such as Philippe Coutinho and Steven Gerrard could only settle for a place on the bench.

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Despite that, the Reds largely matched Madrid, who won 1-0 thanks to a 27th-minute goal from Karim Benzema. However, the reaction to Rodgers' line-up did not go down well, with Spanish daily sports newspaper AS labelling it 'a crime against the club’s history'. It also had a long-term impact, with Liverpool captain and Anfield icon Gerrard later admitting it played a part in his decision to leave the club at the end of that season.

"That was the night, tucked away in the depths of a dugout at the Bernabeu, when my disappointment ran so deep, I almost made up my mind it was time for a change," said Gerrard. "If Brendan’s managing of my games meant that I would miss playing against Real, it seemed as if I had seen the end. How could I go on playing for Liverpool another year if these were the kind of empty nights that awaited me? My career would never be the same again."

But what happened to the Reds players who did start in the Spanish capital that night? We have taken a look below.

Simon Mignolet

Still going strong in the Champions League for Club Brugge. Mignolet left Liverpool to return to his home country in 2019, who he has helped to three consecutive league titles. The 34-year-old has been in fine form this season, keeping five clean sheets in Brugge's six group stage games - two more than any other goalkeeper in the competition.

Alberto Moreno

Moreno departed on a free transfer at the end of the 2018/19 season after a mixed career at Anfield. Effective breaking forward with the ball from the back, the Spaniard often came unstuck in critical defensive moments due to rash decision-making. The left-back signed for Villarreal three years ago and lifted the Europa League during his second campaign with the La Liga outfit.

Kolo Toure

Liverpool's best performer at the Bernabeu by some distance. Approaching the end of his career by the time this fixture came around, the Ivorian limited the likes of Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo to great effect despite the home side breaching the Reds' backline during the first half. Toure remained at Anfield until the end of the following season before seeing out his playing career at Celtic. He is currently serving as a first-team coach at Leicester City, working alongside Rodgers.

Martin Skrtel

A reliable player throughout his time at Liverpool, the Slovakian defender left to join Fenerbahce in the summer of 2016. Following three seasons on the books of the Turkish side, Skrtel signed for Serie A side Atalanta - only for his contract to be terminated by mutual consent three weeks later. A return to Turkey was next on the agenda at Istanbul Basaksehir, whom he helped secure a league title in his maiden campaign. Now retired, the no-nonsense centre-back spent one year at Spartak Trnava last term before hanging up his boots.

Javier Manquillo

The Spanish right-back had joined the Reds on a two-year loan deal, with an option to make this permanent, but saw his stay on Merseyside cut short by parent club Atletico Madrid after making only 16 starts in all competitions. He signed for Newcastle United in 2017 but is no longer a feature of the Magpies first team following the January arrival of Kieran Trippier.

Emre Can

Can ran down his contract at the club, enabling him to join a side of his choosing on a free transfer. That proved to be Juventus in the summer of 2018 and led to the German midfielder claiming back-to-back Serie A titles while in Turin. A loan move to Borussia Dortmund during the middle of his final year in Italy was later made permanent and he remains at the Bundesliga side.

Lucas Leiva

After 10 years of excellent service, Lucas Leiva's time at Liverpool reached a conclusion in 2017 as he moved to Lazio as part of a £5m deal. The Brazilian proved to be a major hit in Italy and was voted Lazio's player of the season in both of his first two campaigns. The midfielder won three trophies over the course of his five-year stay before taking the decision to return to his first professional club, Gremio. In what has been somewhat of a fairytale reunion, Lucas recently helped his boyhood team secure promotion back to the Brazilian top flight.

Joe Allen

Heading for the exit doors at the end of Jurgen Klopp's first campaign at the helm, Allen was snapped up by Stoke City in July 2016. The Welshman's six years spent with the Potters came to an end this summer as he sealed a switch to fellow Championship side, Swansea City.

Adam Lallana

The only player who started away at Madrid and remained an integral member of the squad as Klopp kick-started his transformation project. Lallana made a total of 178 appearances for the Reds in all competitions, winning the Champions League, Premier League, Super Cup and Club World Cup. His exit was confirmed at the end of Liverpool's title-winning season, with Brighton winning the race for his services.

Lazar Markovic

Markovic was not seen again in a Liverpool shirt past the 2014/15 season, having failed to make a positive impression on the back of his £20m move from Benfica. Loans to Fenerbahce, Sporting Lisbon, Hull City and Anderlecht was next on the agenda until an opportunity in February 2019 to sign for Fulham. Partizan Belgrade, the club he originally made a name for himself at, came calling months later and he remained with the Serbian side for three years. The winger currently represents Gaziantep in the Turkish top flight.

Fabio Borini

Like Markovic, Borini is also plying his trade in Turkey at Karagumruk and is the division's third highest scorer this term with seven goals to his name. Prior to this, the Italian striker enjoyed spells at Sunderland, AC Milan and Hellas Verona.

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