Liverpool 1-1 Atletico Madrid: Three things learnt

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Liverpool made several changes going into the Audi Cup final against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday evening, just 24 hours after they faced Bayern Munich. However, the lack of quality showed as a defensive horror show allowed Keidi Bare to open the scoring with a free header from six yards out after a superb stop from goalkeeper Danny Ward.

The Reds fought back though as Divock Origi was cynically fouled by Gabi in the box in the 83rd minute, even if he did go down theatrically. Roberto Firmino stepped up to slam home.

That took the tie to penalties, with Firmino again finding the net. However, Jordan Henderson’s miss proved to be the difference as Origi, Ryan Kent and Marko Grujic’s successful efforts were not enough as Danny Ward could not produce penalty heroics.

The Audi Cup doesn’t matter

Liverpool made nine changes to the side which impressively saw off Bayern Munich and instead fielded a much weaker side against Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid. Some were replaced at half time but the likes of Philippe Coutinho were rested completely and watched on from the stands.

The Reds came close to lifting the trophy, which would have been their second tournament victory of pre-season after winning the Premier League Asia Trophy. Had it been a full strength line-up from Jurgen Klopp’s side, it would have been a winnable tie.

Jon Flanagan’s Liverpool career is over

Flanagan became the cult hero in 2013/14 for his passion, desire and ‘good enough’ displays out of position at left-back. Injury kept him sidelined for a prolonged period after that and 2016/17 saw him become little more than a last choice at Turf Moor, on loan at Burnley.

Against Atletico, he made a number of basic mistakes. Poor marking, even worse ball control and countless misplaced passes all went to show why he struggled. With Trent Alexander-Arnold, Nathaniel Clyne and Joe Gomez ahead of him at right-back and James Milner, Andrew Robertson and Alberto Moreno at left-back, it is hard to see how he can fit into the current squad.

Ryan Kent, on the other hand, could be a star in the making

Kent was hugely impressive against Bayern on Tuesday, with his superb solo run almost setting up Marko Grujic to score, had it not been for an offside flag. Against Atletico, he once again proved to be a nuisance and a threat against one of Europe’s best defences.

With pace and skill, his trickery was a major threat. The youngster also possesses a good final ball and was one of Liverpool’s key attacking threats. A loan move for regular football this season seems likely, but in 12 months time he could become a key figure for Jurgen Klopp.