UCL: Liverpool file out against Ajax to redeem shattered image
Two sides on opposite ends of multiple-goal showdowns last week do battle in Tuesday’s Champions League Group A contest at Anfield, as Liverpool play host to Ajax.
Jurgen Klopp’s side were ripped to shreds 4-1 by Napoli on matchday one, while Alfred Schreuder’s side hit Rangers for four without reply.
The inquest into Liverpool’s demise at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona continued into the weekend, as the Reds – along all other Premier League teams – saw their matches postponed in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
As a result, Klopp and his coaching staff were granted extra time to conduct their analysis of their Italian horror show, as Piotr Zielinski (2), Andre Zambo Anguissa and Giovanni Simeone all condemned Liverpool to a humiliating loss on matchday one.
Luis Diaz’s consolation was all the travelling Reds faithful had to cheer against the Partenopei, which saw Liverpool’s underwhelming start to the new campaign reach a low ebb, and they are already playing catch-up in the fight to make the last-16.
The Reds occupy third spot in the fledgling standings after one match – which would lead to a transfer to the Europa League – but the Anfield crowd can take solace in the fact that their side have won their last two on home territory and have never begun a Champions League campaign with back-to-back losses before.
All in all, Liverpool’s unbeaten run at Anfield now stands at 10 matches in all tournaments since Inter Milan’s inconsequential 1-0 success on Merseyside last term, but their upcoming opponents managed to achieve a feat that was snatched out of their grasp last weekend.
Ajax and Liverpool were two of only three clubs to obtain a perfect 18 points in last season’s group stage – the other being Bayern Munich – but the Reds failed to become the first-ever English side to win seven Champions League group games on the bounce last week.
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In contrast, the Eredivisie champions were in seventh heaven themselves as they taught Rangers a footballing lesson in a 4-0 success, with Edson Alvarez, Steven Berghuis, Mohammed Kudus and Steven Bergwijn coming up with the goods in Amsterdam.
There have been no signs of a post-Erik ten Hag hangover for the dominant Dutch champions this term, as they extended their winning streak to seven matches with a 5-0 Eredivisie thrashing of Heerenveen at the weekend, with Kudus keeping his momentum going with a brace on the day.
Schreuder’s side have not faced the most daunting of starts to their domestic season, but their Champions League nous was as alive as ever against Rangers, and the visitors have now kept five clean sheets on the bounce in all tournaments ahead of Tuesday’s crunch clash.
Furthermore, Ajax have only posted two defeats from their last 25 away matches in all European competition, although their most recent such loss did come at Anfield courtesy of a 1-0 scoreline in 2020 – just six weeks after the Reds had also prevailed by a solitary goal in Amsterdam.