Andy Hunter's match report
Full-time: Hoffenheim 1-2 Liverpool
Liverpool complete a precious victory. The tie is far from over because both sides created a load of chances in the game. Liverpool were grateful to Mignolet for some fine saves while Baumann made a few for Hoffenheim. But the outstanding moment came from Trent Alexander-Arnold, who crowned his first appearance in the Champions League with a magnificent goal to give Liverpool the lead.
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90+4 min: Encouraging composure from Liverpool as they take the ball down the other end and move it about well. Grujic tries to crown it with a delicate finish from the edge of the area but his sidefooter is tipped away by Baumann.
90 + 2 min: There are screen writers in Hollywood who would love to be able to ensure endings are as tense as Liverpool always seem to make them ...
90+1 min: Demiraby strokes a lovely freekick from the left into the danger zone.. and Hubner finds himself with a free header from nine yards! Surely he will punish Liverpool for their set-piece slackness .... no, he nods over the bar!
90 min: There will be at least four more minutes. Hoffenheim are raging forward in search of an equaliser...
90 min: Alexander-Arnold puts a dangerous cross behind for a corner. So that’s Liverpool facing a last-minute set-piece to hold on to a lead .... they do it well this time.
Liverpool substitution: Grujic on, Mané off. Any lead will do now for Klopp.
GOAL! Hoffenheim 1-2 Liverpool (Uth 87)
A long diagonal ball from the right sails over the Liverpool defence. Alexander-Arnold appeals in vain for offside but Lovren is keeping Uth on ... and the striker takes the ball down well and then drills a low shot from the edge of the box into the far corner! The tie is back in the balance...
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85 min: Liverpool continue to seek a third. Salah, whose sights have been just off today, overhits an attempted cross to Solanke, who had peeled off his marker to find space near the back post.
Liverpool substitution: Solanke on, Firmino off. I fancy the newcomer to score.
82 min: Hoffenheim raid down the left. A cross beyond Moreno is headed back into the path of Demirbay, who hits a half-volley into the ground and bouncing towards goals from 16 yards. Mignolet makes another fine save. That’s several so far.
80 min: Lovren, well positioned, clears a dangerous cross by Kaderabek despite being under pressure from Kramaric. He’s played well today.
78 min: There’s a third goal here for Liverpool, you know. They could claim their ticket for the group stages today. “I like your earlier quip about Alexander-Arnold looking for guidance in vain,” says Edouard. “As it stands, I think by the end of the 90 minutes the rest of Liverpool’s defensive line will be asking him how to proceed on the pitch. What a Champions League debut. Also, Phil Coutinho should be offended: it’s quite clear Barcelona haven’t been scouting Liverpool games. If they had, they’d be bidding for Mané instead.” That’ll come, no doubt.
GOAL! Hoffenheim 0-2 Liverpool (Nordtveit 74)
Wijnaldum cleverly took a quick freekick in midfield and Firmino worked it wide on the left to Milner. He tried to pick out Salah at the back post but his cross took a nick off Nordtveit and looped over the keeper and into the net at the far post!
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73 min: Moreno curls over a freekick from the left. Can’s header never looks like hitting the target.
72 min: Hoffenheim are suddenly looking all punched out. Liverpool sense that and are going for a knockout blow....
71 min: Lovren meets another well delivered corner by Alexander-Arnold. It’s a powerful header from eight yards. But Baumann saves well.
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70 min: Hubner gives the ball away as he tries to tippy-tap his way forward from the back. Can slips an easy pass through to Salah, who romps into the box and bears down on goal before letting fly from 10 yards. Letting trickle, rather. It’s a comfortable save for Baumann and a real let-off for the hosts.
67 min: Alexander-Arnold takes a Liverpool corner - he strikes the ball beautifully, that much has been established - but Hoffenheim manage to clear this one.
66 min: Kramaric races past Alexander-Arnold again down the left. Gnabry meets his cross at the near post but can’t turn it on to the target.
65 min: Hoffenheim win three corners in a row. Demiraby’s deliveries are wicked. But Liverpool head them clear each time.
64 min: Kaderabek gets behind Liverpool down the left and floats a dangerouss cross towards the back post. Matip leaps high to head it behind for a corner. Mignolet rebukes Mané for failing to provide Moreno with any cover.
Liverpool substitution: Milner on, Henderson off.
61 min: Salah pings a nice pass through to Can, who had darted forward to provide an underlap. But Firmino demands a similar service and would be through on goal if he gets it ... but Can overhits the attempted pass, granting Hoffenheim a reprieve.
Here’s a young Alexander-Arnold helping to calm an old pro’s jitters before a match many years ago ...
⚽️👌🏻 pic.twitter.com/DlQAutfe6R
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) August 15, 2017
57 min: “Liverpool should sell Moreno asap: he has been so bad bar an excellent interception for a cross,” blasts Ruth Purdue (and many others). You realise that’s not a persuasive sales pitch, right?
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56 min: Alexander-Arnold booked for ... I’m not sure what. He seems bemused, too. I’d wonder if it might be a case of mistaken identity if not for the fact that everyone now knows who Trent Alexander Arnold is.
Hoffenheim substitutions: Nagelsmann has recognised Becakcic’s ordeal and decided to spare him further persecution from Mané. I doubt the former West Ham defender Nordtveit is going to fare any better. Also, Amiri has come on for Rupp.
51 min: Alexander-Arnold crosses from the right. It rools all the way over to Mané on the left. He dances past poor Becakic again and opens fire from a difficult angle. Baumann parries and Hoffenheim scramble clear. I’m no master strategist, but always giving the ball to Mané seems like a good ploy at this point. “Dear Paul, I was about to object to Phil Sawyer’s claim that roller coasters zigzag, but I realized he is right,” confides Dave Hannah. “When Lovren and Moreno are on the field, Liverpool regularly go off the rails defensively.”
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49 min: Zuber shows strength and speed to stop Salah from breaking through down the right. This is a very open game and there’s little sign of Liverpool sitting on their lead.
47 min: Mané skins Becackic down the left wing and continues on into the box. He tees up Firmino with a perfect low pass across the face of goal. Firmino meets it six yards out ... but fails to beat the keeper, who spread himself at his feet. A dink would have done it.
46 min: No changes during the break. Hoffenheim attack from the off, and Gnabry races past Alexander-Anrold and delivers a decent cross. Moreno, providing intelligent cover (that’s worth highlighting), clears wel.
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Watching the replay of the penalty incident, it’s clear that the main reason that Lovren found himself in a one-on-one with Gnabry on the left-hand side of the box is that Moreno was up pressing the opposing keeper, who saw the gap and punted the ball long. Gnabry might have been offside, mind. The replay also confirms what an awful penalty it was by Kramaric, pretty much as bad it can be while being on target. Actually, that’s unfair on Pat Nevin.
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“I was typing an email about Liverpool’s deficiencies and pre-season hopes already evaporating,” admits Phil Sawyer. “Then Alexander-Arnold scored. Then Moreno was left stranded and Hoffenheim nearly scored. After this half and the Watford match I think the only think I can safely say about this season is that I’m going to need to speak to my GP about possibly upping the blood pressure medication. We appear to be on a rollercoaster zigzagging wildly between Elation and Doomed.”
In other news, Everton have finally reached a deal with Swansea for Gylfii Sigurdsson. That and more developments can be found in this here transfer guide.
Half-time: Hoffenheim 0-1 Liverpool
A very pleasing scoreline so far, thanks to a delightful goal by Alexander-Arnold following a penalty save by Mignolet. That’s unlikely to be the end of the scoring, however, as Hoffenheim are dangerous and Liverpool are sharp on the counter-attack.
45 +1 min: Lovren rises well to meet a Liverpool corner with a strong header. It bounces just past the far post!
45 min: Hoffenheim are pulled themselves together again and are looking very dangerous. They’re throwing plenty of players into the box and feeding them well. Liverpool’s defenders have had to make several critical interventions in the last couple of minutes.
42 min: A simple long ball forward by Hoffenheim finds Liverpool’s defence wanting, as Moreno is beaten in the air and Kramaric has a free shot near the penalty spot! Mignolet rushes off his line to make a fine block, and Wagner then drives a low shot inches wide from the edge of the area.
39 min: Liverpool have some swagger now. They’ve been unburdened off their earlier deference and are now try to assert themselves more.
37 min: Can sends a rasping shot at goal from 30 yards. Baumann saves. Meanwhile, Liverpool fans are still bobbing up and down and singing in honour of Alexander-Arnold. Klopp deserves a hymn of praise, too: that was pretty spectacular vindication of his faith in the youngster.
Hoffenheim 0-1 Liverpool (Alexander-Arnold 35)
A star is born! Alexander-Arnold strolls up to the freekick and curls a wonderful shot over the wall and right into the bottom corner! That was masterful from the 18-year-old Champions League debutant!
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34 min: Bicakcic booked for chopping down Mané after the Senegalese scampered past Hubner and towards the box. Moreno, Can and Alexander-Arnold stand over the freekick, which is about 28 yards out and central.
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33 min: Alexander-Arnold charges down an attempted clearance by Kramaric, and the ball rebounds off him and fizzes towards goal from 12 yards! Fortunately for Hoffenheim, Baumann was well positioned and saved without fuss.
31 min: Matip makes an important block rom a shot by Kramaric after two other Hoffenheim players passed in Liverpool’s box rather than shot. There’s an ominous brashness to the hosts’ play.
29 min: This is all a tad too passive from Liverpool. They could really do with taking the initiative, if only to circulate the ball a bit and prick the home team’s rising momentum.
27 min: A freekick to Hoffenheim mid-way inside the Liverpool half. Liverpool set the line just outside their D. And Lovren hoofs a good delivery to safety.
26 min: Demirabay digs a cross out from the left, curling it beyond the far post. Moreno is caught unaware, would you believe, and Kaderabek runs in to attempt a half-volley from 12 yards. But he doesn’t catch it right and shanks it way wide.
24 min: Liverpool spend a couple of minutes in possession. They knock it about in the Hoffenheim half without ever looking like they know how to unlock the defence. Without Coutinho and Lallana they’re not exactly bursting with creativity.
22 min: A heavy touch from Wijnaldum puts an end to a promising Liverpool counter-attack.
20 min: Hoffenheim are dominating possession here but Liverpool are generally playing with enough discipline to keep them at arm’s length. Can they keep that up? “Thanks to the jersey choices this visually resembles Germany vs Italy 1982 World Cup Final, sort of,” suggests Marc. The team in blue missed a penalty early in that match, too ... and went on to win 3-1.
17 min: Alexander-Arnold joins in the attack again - there’s regularly plenty of space for him to do so down the right - and fires in a good low cross. It’s put behind for a corner. Alexander-Arnold takes it himself but fails to beat the first man.
14 min: A big blunder by Vogt puts Salah racing clear on goal! Vogt’s fear of humiliation seems to make his legs move faster and he does very well to catch up with the Egyptian and pressurise him into a weak finish, Salah shooting tamely wide from the edge of the box.
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Mignolet saves the penalty!
Kramaric takes a short run-up and and dabs a weak shot straight at Mignolet, who appears to have been sorely under-estimated by the Croat!
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PENALTY TO HOFFENHEIM!
Gnabry nutmegs Lovren and then goes down under contact. Not sure how Lovren was supposed to get out of the way: Gnabry ran into him as his legs were still tangled up.
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7 min: Yikes! Hoffenheim swing in a sumptuous freekick from wide on the left; if Lovren does not cut it out, one of two lurking home players will surely get to it; Lovren does slide in to meet it but does not make a clean connection and the ball rebounds off his foot on to his arm; Hoffenheim appeal for a penalty! But the ref decides, rightly, that it was not intentional. It wasn’t reassuring, either.
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5 min: Kramaric tricks his way past Moreno down the right and then delivers a cross worthy of his former Leicester team-mate Marc Albrighton. Matip does superbly to stretch out a leg and deviate it the ball at the near post. Otherwise Wagner would surely have reached it and had a free shot from six yards.
4 min: Can does well to win possession of Zuber in midfield and then hold off another challenge. But Liverpool are soon pestered into giving the ball away, and then Mignolet has to charge out of his box to clear before Gnabry can latch on to a hopeful through-ball in down the left-hand channel.
2 min: No sign of Alexander-Arnold being overawed on his Champions League debut: he’s just strode forward from the back to receive a pass from Can and clip a nice pass in to Salah, who turns just inside the area and tries to get a shot off.
1 min: Liverpool kick off. Hoffenheim’s pressing intention become immediately clear as they force Liverpool to play all the way back to Mignolet, who lashes it downfield.
Here come the teams. Hoffenheim are all in a kit that is mostly Everton-blue while Liverpool are in smart white tops and black shorts, like a waiters’ gym team. There’s a tremendous din in the Rhein-Neckar Arena, with Liverpool fans well represented among the 30,000 crowd.
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Klopp's pre-match thoughts
Asked about why he went with the same team as against Watford, he replied: “We can do pretty much everything better but I thought it made sense to build on the second half at Watford, which was very good.” Asked to describe Hoffenheim to English viewers who don’t know them, he replied: “I don’t think that in Germany many people know about Bournemouth but it’s a proper football team.”
Owen Hargreaves is on BT offering his expert opinion of Hoffenheim. “They are very attacking and high-scoring, defensively very strong and tactically very fluid. They are a brilliantly coached team.” Gulp! He reckons, though, that “Liverpool will score .... it’s going to be an incredibly entertaining game.” Hargreaves is great: he’s very knowledgeable and has an endearing way of conveying huge enthusiasm without coming across as a hype-merchant.
“I think Coutinho’s gone through the process that most brilliant footballers have to go through,” suggests Ben Bennett. “People overrate them as they think they should win games single-handedly, then underrate as they don’t do that. Coutinho keeps the ball moving like no other. Klopp is faced with a catch-22, something Mignolet couldn’t face without dropping it 21 times.”
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“Spare a thought for Jurgen Klopp and his transfer window dilemma,” interjects David Flynn. “He could really do with some functioning defenders. He could also really do with a dainty Brazilian playmaker pulling the strings. However to gain one he has to give up the other. Who’d be a well paid millionaire football manager who’s employed to make just these sort of decisions. It’s no life.” But is it such a huge dilemma? Couldn’t Klopp have both? OK, perhaps not necessarily a Brazilian playmaker if he sells Coutinho, but he could surely get someone nearly as good as Coutinho while also strengthening defence (and midfield, and goalkeeper). It’s not as hard as Liverpool make it look.
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TEAMS
Below are the teams. Klopp has kept faith with exactly the same starting lineup and bench that he picked for the game against Watford, which means he still doesn’t think Andy Robertson is ready for action. That seems dicey, because the Scot has more defensive sense than Moreno (and is a useful crosser going forward) – indeed, so does Milner, who might also have been considered for the right-back spot if not the left-back one. Can’t accuse Klopp of not giving youth a chance today: this is a big test for Alexander-Arnold and the 18-year-old will be grateful for the guidance that he is sure to get from ... um … good luck, young man!
Hoffenheim: Baumann; Blcakcic, Vogt, Hübner; Kaderabek, Rupp, Demirbay, Zuber; Kramaric, Gnabry; Wagner
Subs: Kobel, Nordtveit, Toljan, Amiri, Uth, Szalal, Geiger
Liverpool: Mignolet; Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Matip, Moreno; Henderson, Can, Wijnaldum: Mané, Firmino, Salah
Subs: Karius, Klavan, Gomez, Milner, Grujic, Solanke, Origi
Referee: B Kuipers (Ned)
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Preamble
Hello and welcome to the future. Today’s match against a decent Hoffenheim side could go a long way towards determining the mood around Liverpool for the season ahead. Get a good result and Jürgen Klopp’s men can congratulate themselves on keeping cool amid adversity, be confident of marching into the group stages of the Champions League and probably increase their appeal to transfer targets; but flunk this exam and Liverpool will not merely face a very difficult second leg but risk being engulfed by another wave of frustration from fans aghast at the persistence of obvious problems. They’re such a tease, this Liverpool side! They have the ability to put this tie to bed today but also the capacity to drive their fans potty. There’s really no telling how things will go today.
Just a couple of weeks ago, of course, everything was going swimmingly for Liverpool in Germany. There they were, thrashing Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena, 2-0 up and dancing a merry jig. But then Daniel Sturridge simultaneously scored a superb goal and stepped on a metaphorical rake and the whole club was hit by unwanted reminders of every one of their vulnerabilities: Sturridge himself immediately pulled up lame; Adam Lallana injured his thigh; Barcelona tried to claim droit du seigneur on Phillipe Coutinho; new Chinese owners strengthened Southampton’s grip on Virgil van Dijk; and Georginio Wijnaldum’s head shrunk into his neck just as he was about to clear a corner at Watford. And now here Liverpool are, back in Germany. Will they break the cycle? Or will the cycle break them? That’s what we’re here to find out.
Meanwhile, in anticipation of heated discussions about the shortcomings of various professional footballers, let us first all consider our own inadequacies: who amongst us, for example, can honestly say we spent our late-20s guiding a club into the Champions League for the first team in its history? I did it once with Bohemians FC but that was in a computer game and only after I rebooted several times. Julian Nagelsmann did it for real, as Marcus Christenson explains in the article below. The man’s young enough to be Klopp’s son and yet he’s made himself a peer of his compatriot and has earned an opportunity to get the better of him today.
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