Alisson Becker gave the impression of being far from impressed with his teammates after Liverpool succumbed to a 1-0 loss to Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.
The Brazilian cited the ‘attitude’ of the team as the main cause behind the lacklustre performance on the pitch and additionally refused to accept injuries as ‘an excuse’ as the Spanish outfit knocked their opponents out of the competition.
“Every moment of the season had its reason. Today was attitude on the field, maybe because of the first game. Coming here and beating Real Madrid with all the history is difficult,” the former Roma shotstopper told TNT Sports (via ESPN).
“Difficult to create the expectation of qualifying. But I’m wearing the shirt of Liverpool, playing against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu and the least I have to do is give my best. I believe I gave my best, I leave with my head held high.
“But as a team we have a lot more to do. There were injuries, which hurt us for sure, now we only have one player out and that’s no longer an excuse.
“We had an incredible game with Manchester United, soon after against Bournemouth and here we didn’t play enough to tie the game. We lacked attitude, a lot on our part.”
The Merseysiders had produced a sample of what could be under Jurgen KIopp in the years to come with a stunning 20-minute salvo at Anfield that produced their only two goals of the tie.
It was yet further evidence of a future under the tenure of the Premier League-winning boss as he looks to build the next great Liverpool side.
That’ll have to start with some serious investment in the summer judging by the reality of player exits and crumbling performance levels from some of the club’s previously reliable operators.
Whether that process has already begun with Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch (if Jose Enrique’s claim is to be believed) remains to be seen, though it’s just as much a case of bringing in genuine quality as well as quantity.