Thierry Henry landed some honest blows about Liverpool, following their capitulation against Real Madrid, claiming it was the end of an era for the Reds.
Darwin Nunez’s brilliant flick had already put them on the right path to showing their recent troubles were well behind them but the second goal really made it all feel like a dream.
They were soon shocked awake when Vinicius Junior had levelled things up before the break, thanks in part to Alisson’s own mistake, before the visitors went on to win 5-2.
Having relatively recently shipped three goals against Brentford, Brighton and Premier League low scorers Wolves, conceding five against Real was the latest huge black mark against the defence.
Henry may have gone further, sounding the death knell for the era at Anfield that saw the team be one of the best sides in Europe.
“They conceded too many goals against Brentford, Wolves and Brighton – let alone before you play a team like Real Madrid,” the Frenchman said on CBS.
“I wanted to know where they were and I saw a fragile team. More than fragile, why? They were 2-0 up. That’s exactly the start you would like to have against a Madrid team or any team in Europe at Anfield and they couldn’t even keep that.
“Yes, Alisson made a mistake but they didn’t bail him out. Thibaut Courtois makes a mistake – that’s a big team, they bailed him out.
“They are fragile and some things need to change. I don’t think Jurgen Klopp needs to go but some players don’t have the level anymore to play for Liverpool. It happens to the best, it happened to me. It’s the end of an era, and it’s been for a little while this season. It’s the end and it happens.
“And I’m not having a go at Liverpool, we have a saying in France, “you see a cat, you have to call it, it’s not a dog,” they’re eighth, they’re not playing well, they’re conceding a lot.
“We all love what they did recently, but you also have to say somethings are not going right, it’s a tough one. I look at this and I see Liverpool conceding five at home, and getting out played.”
The biggest thorn in the English giant’s side on Tuesday may well have been Luka Modric, who earned a standing ovation from the Anfield crowd from his fantastic performance.
Henry believes that the Croatian’s burst, which helped set up the fifth goal, was indicative of the problems Klopp’s side are currently facing.
“When I see a guy like Luka Modric at his age getting the ball and bursting forward in midfield like they were not there and passing the ball to Vinicius and Vinicius passing the ball to Benzema and him toying with the keeper, I just think that is not good enough that team gave us so much,” the former Arsenal star added.
“But right now they are not good so they need to reinvent themselves and keep their head up until the end of the season.”
Liverpool will have the chance to turn things around in three weeks time, and they’ve come back from larger margins in the second leg of the Champions League against Spanish opposition in the past.
This time it will probably take a miracle rather than a quick corner from Trent Alexander-Arnold to see them progress.
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