One of the best results of Liverpool’s season so far was beating Real Madrid at Anfield in the Champions League.
The Reds have suffered more than most at the hands of the European champions over recent years.
However, with Carlo Ancelotti’s team in poor form heading to Anfield in November, Liverpool knew they had a chance to put things right.
And that’s exactly what they did, with goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo handing the Reds a dominant 2-0 win.
Ancelotti admitted to changing his tactics on the back of the loss, as the legendary manager aimed to deal better with pressing sides such as Liverpool.
But according to pundit Micah Richards, that wasn’t the only thing Ancelotti said after leaving Anfield with a defeat.
Real Madrid's Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti watches the players from the touchline during the UEFA Champions League football match between Liverpoo...
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
Carlo Ancelotti heaps praise on Liverpool
Ancelotti has had an interesting history with Liverpool. The Italian has faced the Reds in three different Champions League finals.
Although he has won two of those three, the one he lost – in Istanbul in 2005 – will always leave a small stain on his managerial legacy.
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Then, having turned up at Everton in 2019, Ancelotti broke the Toffees’ Anfield curse, by winning at Liverpool’s home for the first time in more than 20 years, albeit in front of an empty stadium.
This time, though, he and his Madrid side were beaten. And speaking on The Rest Is Football, Richards says that Ancelotti was clearly impressed.
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“I was in the press conference with Ancelotti after the Real Madrid game as well and he was saying Liverpool are the best team they’ve played in the Champions League,” says the former Man City man.
“I think that’s massive coming from the Real Madrid manager. Yeah, they look dangerous at this moment in time.”
Liverpool ‘favourites for everything’
Ancelotti was not the only one to heap praise on Liverpool after their exploits in the Champions League.
Looking back on the Reds’ 1-0 win over Girona in midweek, Richards admitted that he finds it ‘mad’ to watch how Liverpool are winning games while still having levels to go up.
“I keep saying it, they’ve still got a level to go, they’re in a great position now but they still can play better,” he says. “Even Slot was talking about it, he wasn’t happy with the performance.
“They let teams play in the first-half and if a team was to score in the first-half it’s how they would react to it, but somehow they’re managing to keep clean sheets or keep the game down to a bear minimum and then in the second-half they’re lifting off. It’s mad to see. They’re favourites for everything.”
The plaudits are piling up for Liverpool, but they’ve won nothing yet. It’s time to kick on and justify that favourites tag.
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