Visualized: Liverpool 3-3 Sevilla

Previous Match Infographics: Southampton (h), West Ham (a), Maribor (h), Huddersfield (h), Tottenham (a), Maribor (a), United (h), Newcastle (a), Spartak Moscow (a), Leicester (a), Burnley (h), Sevilla (h), Manchester City (a), Arsenal (h), Hoffenheim (h), Crystal Palace (h), Hoffenheim (a), Watford (a)

Match data from WhoScored, except average position from the SofaScore app. 





(Here's the formation diagram usually included in match reviews.)

I can't help but start with a table I posted after Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Sevilla.




Liverpool have now lost or drawn 21 matches where they've had the lead under Jürgen Klopp. It's happened five times when Liverpool have had a two-goal lead or – following this collapse from 3-0 – better. Jürgen Klopp has been manager for 119 games. In 17.6% of Klopp's Liverpool games, Liverpool have had a lead but failed to win.

To break it down even further. Liverpool have taken a lead in 81 of those 119 games. Liverpool have won 60 of those 81 – 46 times by holding onto an established lead, 11 times by coming back from a deficit, and three times where Liverpool had a lead, lost the lead, then retook the lead.

81 times where Liverpool had a lead. 21 times where Liverpool failed to win with said lead. 25.9% of matches where Liverpool have had a lead. Yikes.

That seems like a lot of lost opportunities. On the plus side, at least Liverpool have yet to lose after taking a lead this season, something they did twice in each of the previous seasons.

On the negative side, Liverpool have yet to come back to win from a losing position this season.

Also on the negative side, nine of those above 21 matches saw the opposition's crucial goal come after the 80th minute. Late goals conceded, nowhere near as many late goals scored, especially not meaningful goals. And another two crucial points dropped, no matter the first half that came before the second.

Sevilla's comeback wasn't entirely unexpected, even considering Liverpool's proclivity for Liverpooling. Lost in the second-half collapse is the fact that Sevilla had two clear-cut chances after Liverpool's early opener, before Liverpool's second – one saved by Karius, one narrowly wide from two-goal-scorer Ben Yedder. Even when Liverpool were 1-0 and 2-0 up, Liverpool weren't in control. The only true spell of dominance came after Liverpool's third, with Sevilla on tilt. But with Liverpool unable to push it further, most notably with Salah's clear-cut chance cleared off the goal line.

I expect you remember the previous meeting, where Liverpool came back from conceding early and were cruising, up 2-1, which should have been 3-1 when Firmino missed a penalty. And then Sevilla's equalizer happened in the second half, as Liverpool lost control.

Liverpool have been especially prone to losing control away from home this season. 


23 of the 28 goals conceded this season have come away from Anfield. Liverpool are averaging 0.56 goals conceded per game at home and 2.09 on the road. Otherwise known as nearly four times as many. Three goals conceded at Watford and Sevilla, four at Tottenham, five at Manchester City. The only away match where Liverpool haven't conceded was the 7-0 massacre at Maribor. And all nine of Liverpool's goals conceded from set plays – five free kicks (one direct), four corners, and a penalty – have come away from home. Both penalties saved by Simon Mignolet this season came away from home as well – at Hoffenheim and at Leicester.

I remain unsure whether the away curse is tactical or mental – probably a little from column A and a little from column B – but it's a massive problem all the same.

Alberto Moreno's taken a lot of the blame for Tuesday. And unsurprisingly so. His foul that led to Sevilla's free kick first. Him beaten to the header by Ben Yedder for Sevilla's free kick first. His completely unnecessary foul for Sevilla's penalty. It was a mad 20 minutes which got him hooked, and all too reminiscent of his second-half performance against the same side in the 2016 Europa League final. The same side that Moreno used to play for.

It's a bad look, especially after this week's "I'M BACK, BABY!" interviews. But I can't help but focusing on Jordan Henderson.




Remember when we used to complain about midfielders passing sideways? What I wouldn't have given for that.

Liverpool's captain, who played the full 90 minutes, touched the ball all of 37 times at Sevilla. Only Moreno and the three substitutes had fewer Liverpool touches. 30 were passes – 17 successful, 13 errant. He made three interceptions (all before Sevilla's first goal), blocked one cross, was caught offsides twice, and mis-controlled into a giveaway once. No tackles attempted. No aerial duels attempted.

From the holding midfielder. From the player with more Liverpool appearances than anyone else in the squad. From the Liverpool captain. That's not good.

Look, "the captain" is often an ephemeral label. Klopp often doesn't seem to put much stock in it. Each player needs to be responsible for themselves and the team, etc. But put in this situation – especially the last few minutes of the match, where you'd kept Sevilla out for almost 30 minutes after completely losing the plot – you'd expect senior players to be able to calm the play. To put a foot on the ball and reassert at least a modicum of control. That's what Gerrard, Hyypia, etc does.

The Liverpool captain half hits a ball up the line with his left foot because he can't use it, then hoofed the next ball into the clouds. Liverpool did not regain possession until tip off after the goal. pic.twitter.com/7C51nV2yTO

— Cormac O'Malley (@cormacpro) November 21, 2017

Sigh.

But let's be clear. Outside of the front three, no one really played well. The right-side of the defense was okay. The substitutes were okay. The left side of the defense – including both Mané and Coutinho, at least in their defensive responsibilities – was bad. The midfield was very bad.

Even when playing a counter-attacking game, you need to be able to assert some semblance of control. 
I started doing these match infographics in 2012-13, so I feel pretty safe in stating the following. No team has attempted or completed more passes against Liverpool under Rodgers or Klopp. No team has had a greater disparity in passes attempted or completed against Liverpool under Rodgers or Klopp. Liverpool have never had a lower passing accuracy under Rodgers or Klopp. Liverpool have never attempted or completed fewer passes under Rodgers or Klopp. No team has had more possession against Liverpool under Rodgers or Klopp.

This Liverpool side often dominates possession, for better or worse. This Liverpool side can be better with less possession, allowed more space for the counter-attack, more space for that front three to do front three things. But this was especially lopsided and especially horrific. The pass accuracy is the most galling, unable to keep the ball when Liverpool needed to take the sting out of the opposition, crowd, and game.

But this is not the end of the world. Liverpool remain a point ahead of Sevilla and three points ahead of Spartak. Liverpool have yet to lose in the Champions League this season. A win against Spartak – who could only draw at home with Maribor on Tuesday – still sees Liverpool win the group. A draw sees Liverpool qualify for the knockout rounds, the place in the group dependent on Sevilla's result at Maribor. Not that you want to rely on Liverpool in an end-all, be-all match, seeing how this side's responded to pressure in big games, but it's still better than a lot of scenarios.

Of course we'd have all taken a draw before kickoff. But that doesn't excuse what happened on Tuesday. And after all the group that'd come before...

One step forward, two steps back. Again. Four impressive wins, against less impressive sides, but then another collapse. Starting with an individual, but eventually team-wide. Not great, Liverpool.

Now, Chelsea on Saturday. Yet again, another response needed. And quickly.

Liverpool at Sevilla 11.21.17

2:45pm ET, live in the US on Fox Soccer Plus, ESPN3, and Facebook Live

Previous Group results:
Liverpool: 3-0 Maribor (h); 7-0 Maribor (a); 1-1 Spartak (a); 2-2 Sevilla (h)
Sevilla: 2-1 Spartak (h); 1-5 Spartak (a); 3-0 Maribor (h); 2-2 Liverpool (a)

Last three matches:
Liverpool: 3-0 Southampton (h); 4-1 West Ham (a); 3-0 Maribor (h)
Sevilla: 2-1 Celta Vigo (h); 1-2 Barcelona (a); 2-1 Spartak (h)

Goalscorers (Europe):
Liverpool: Salah 5; Firmino 4; Can 3; Alexander-Arnold, Coutinho 2; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sturridge 1
Sevilla: Ben Yedder 6; Escudero 2; Banega, Correa, Kjaer, Lenglet 1

Referee: Felix Brych (GER)

Guess at a line-up:
Karius
Gomez Lovren Klavan Moreno
Can Henderson Coutinho
Salah Firmino Mané

Now we get into the meat of the season. Two matches a week for the next six weeks. And this week's two are a crucial Champions League decider and against the defending Premier League champions.

So, even though it's tempting to think "ROTATION," I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't that much, especially since Liverpool are in a very welcomed decent vein of form.

It's safe to assume Karius will return as Champions League goalkeeper. Gomez will probably come in for Alexander-Arnold. Emre Can's probably coming back into midfield as well, with Wijnaldum the most likely to make way. But that should be the extent of Liverpool's changes, no matter what's to come on the weekend. It is probably too soon for Lallana to start, although I wouldn't be surprised to see him off the bench, while Matip remains injured and didn't travel.

The most important match is the one in front of you. And this one's pretty important regardless.

There's a chance we'll see the 4-2-4/4-4-2 that Liverpool played at West Ham – something like a front six of Mané, Henderson, Can, Coutinho; Firmino, Salah – with Liverpool likely to have a lot less possession, but I'm still guessing 4-3-3 more often than not given how Liverpool have lined up over the last season. That and Liverpool shouldn't need to coax Sevilla into coming out, as they did at West Ham. Sevilla are coming out regardless.

Like Liverpool, Sevilla are finding their way back after a shaky October, with four wins from five – an expected, narrow loss to Barcelona the only outlier – after losing three consecutive matches last month, with two of those losses by four goals.

Like Liverpool, Sevilla's become almost unplayable on their own ground, winning seven and drawing two in all competitions this season, scoring 18 and conceding just six.

Like Jürgen Klopp, Eduardo Berizzo will have decisions to make. Eight players who started against Liverpool at Anfield didn't feature on Saturday: Ben Yedder, Banega, Navas, Correa, Mercado, Kjaer, Pareja, and Sergio Rico. Only two were due to injury: Correa and Pareja, and the former will be back in the squad tomorrow.

Will it be Ben Yedder or Luis Muriel up front? The former scored against Liverpool and has six goals in this competition but the latter made a massive difference as a substitute the last time these sides met and has been preferred lately. The returning Correa, who also scored in the last meeting, or Nolito? Or both, with Navas making way? Does Sergio Rico continue as Champions League goalkeeper, with Soria used only in league matches? Is there a place for Pablo Sarabia, who has played well in Correa's absence, and has been picked over Navas half the time when Nolito's started on the left?

My guess – which, as usual, is very much a guess – is Sergio Rico; Mercado, Geis, Kjaer, Escudero; N'Zonzi, Pizarro; Correa, Banega, Nolito; Muriel.

Games at Sevilla are usually strangulations. No other La Liga side averages fewer shots at home. Only two allow fewer shots. But Sevilla have scored at least two goals seven of nine home matches in all competitions. Only Istanbul Basaksehir has scored more than one, a 2-2 draw in the second leg of a Champions League qualifier.

If it were last season, I'd say these are exactly the type of games where Liverpool thrive. See: 2-1 Chelsea, 1-0 City, 2-0 Tottenham, 3-1 Arsenal. But we've seen a lot less of it in the few big matches this season.

So, yeah, this is a big week.

Liverpool qualify for the knockout rounds with a win. As do Sevilla. A draw will be good enough for Liverpool if Spartak Moscow somehow lose to Maribor. And a loss doesn't doom either, although a Sevilla loss would require Liverpool helping them against Spartak next match, assuming Spartak beat Maribor.

Liverpool will do Liverpool, and look for the win. This Liverpool knows no other way. And so will Sevilla.

Visualized: Liverpool 2-2 Sevilla

Previous Match Infographics: Manchester City (a), Arsenal (h), Hoffenheim (h), Crystal Palace (h), Hoffenheim (a), Watford (a)

Match data from WhoScored and Liverpool FC



There's only so much you can say when similar things keep happening again and again and again and again.

Once again, a defensive error that should never have happened proves costly.




Once again, Liverpool drop points from a winning position thanks to a second half concession.




Once again, Liverpool's opponent scores from every single shot on-target.




Liverpool players – especially goalkeepers and center-backs – commit errors at way too high a pace. Liverpool let opposition sides back into games way too frequently. Liverpool don't allow many shots, but Liverpool allow really, really good shots.

This often happens in matches that Liverpool "should" win. They're often matches that Liverpool should have won on balance of play. It continues to happen at about the same rate since Jürgen Klopp became manager.

This time, Liverpool – read: Dejan Lovren – committed an early error which set an awful tone. As against Palace and Watford in 2015-16; Burnley, Southampton (League Cup), Hull, and Leicester in 2016-16.

This time, Liverpool let a lead slip late – the midfielders slow to react to a quick throw-in, Lovren and Moreno caught ball-watching, although give Correa credit where due for the control and finish. Liverpool did similar against Southampton, West Brom, Sunderland, Southampton, Tottenham, and Newcastle in 2015-16; Tottenham, Bournemouth, Sunderland, United, and Bournemouth in 2016-17, and Watford already this season.

Yes, credit where due. That second goal was quite clever, if aided by Liverpool. Sevilla improved as the match went on. Sevilla's changes improved the side. Sevilla finished the stronger side. That shouldn't have mattered after that first half performance.

Liverpool's attack remains very good. Better than last season. Vastly so. But, too often, Liverpool need that attack to take almost every single chance in order to get past these issues we've seen again and again and again and again. Do that, and we get 4-0 Arsenal. Don't do that, and don't turn that first half dominance into at least three goals, and miss a penalty just before halftime, and here we are.

Again.

Liverpool 2-2 Sevilla

Goals:
Ben Yedder 5'
Firmino 21'
Salah 37'
Correa 72'

At least it went better than the last time Liverpool faced Sevilla?

But, look, we've been here before. The match started in the worst possible manner and the match ended in a not great manner. In between, especially the first half and very much especially in attack, was competent if not excellent.

But Liverpool did dumb things in defense, and paid for it. Liverpool failed to take enough chances to make up for doing dumb things in defense – a missed penalty in the 42nd minute the most galling – and paid for it.

An Anfield roaring for the return of the Champions League proper should have been the catalyst to blow the doors off Sevilla, as it was against Hoffenheim. And it almost was, it might have been. Liverpool pushed, Can and Henderson tried their luck from distance almost immediately. But one Sevilla attack: Sevilla's first attack, Sevilla's only real attack of the half. One low cross into a dangerous position, but a low cross that should have been easily cleared. One kick through nothing but air from Dejan Lovren. And one goal for Liverpool's opponents from a defensive error. One goal conceded from one shot on-target.

But Liverpool responded. Anfield didn't stop, and that attack didn't stop. Mané and Salah again gave their markers nothing but nightmares. Liverpool's midfield took turns pressing feverishly, giving Sevilla little outlet or time to breathe. Firmino everywhere, overloads everywhere. Liverpool kept coming until Liverpool equalized: pressure and possession finished off by Moreno to Henderson to Moreno, a low cross for Firmino's tap-in, Wijnaldum waiting at the back post if the striker didn't get there.

And Liverpool didn't stop. Can shot narrowly wide after a wonderful, wonderful break. Mercado saw yellow in frustration, again turned inside out by a Liverpool attacker. Liverpool kept pressing and kept breaking, and in the 37th minute, Salah won possession fairly despite protests, looked up, and immediately shot at goal, a lucky deflection taking it over Sergio Rico. You get what you deserve.

And Liverpool arguably deserved even more. Four minutes later, Mané beat Correa all ends up to win a penalty. He could have had two: Correa both handled the ball and pulled Mané back. Liverpool needed two, because Firmino sent his spot kick off the post. Subsequent dangerous crosses from Moreno and Wijnaldum nearly but couldn't quite lead to anything. And yet another full tilt break just before the whistle saw Rico barely keep Moreno's effort out.

But the second half was a different story. Liverpool remained on top, but less so, increasingly less so. Less quick to press, less vicious both on and off the ball. Fewer chances, more speculative chances. Deep curlers from Salah and Mané wide, Firmino from distance wide, Wijnaldum from distance saved.

Sevilla knew they were close to getting away with it. One side grew in stature and the other proportionally diminished. Liverpool at least looked secure? Silly rabbit. Liverpool aren't ever secure.

And in the 72nd minute, Liverpool were finally punished. Henderson and Can were out of position on Sevilla's throw-in and Muriel, who'd been on the pitch less than three minutes, was able to run at the heart of Liverpool's defense. Lovren froze, Correa sprinted behind Moreno, somehow controlled the pass, and beat Karius maybe just a little bit too easily. Again, you get what you deserve, in both attack and defense.

22 Liverpool shots at that point. Six on-target, two goals. That's not bad. Three Sevilla shots. Two on-target, two goals. That's very bad. The one non-goal Sevilla shot? From distance, easily blocked, late in the first half. The other two were clear-cut chances. The other two were goals. Easy goals, avoidable goals. This is not the first time this has happened.

Unlike after conceding early, Liverpool dropped. Liverpool diminished, at an even quicker pace. Probably tired from the earlier exertions. Losing shape and style after substitutions, with Coutinho replacing Can, Sturridge replacing Mané, and Oxlade-Chamberlain replacing Salah. There was little reply. There were just two Liverpool shots: both headers, both from corners, neither threatening.

And Sevilla could have won it late: Muriel again somehow through on goal in added time, shooting wide after being fouled by Gomez, advantage played and the defender sent off for a second yellow. Honestly, I'll take the dismissal rather than the loss.

Literally only two good things happened in the second half. Coutinho came on for his first appearance of the season; sure, he played like lukewarm garbage, but at least he's cup-tied. And Sevilla's manager was sent off for extreme pettiness – twice knocking throw-ins away from Gomez – which is the type of extreme pettiness you can only admire. Although, the Muriel substitution came after the sending off, so maybe that wasn't so great.

So here were are, yet again. It's not the worst result, especially since the other two sides in the group also drew, but it's also not good enough, yet again. Schizophrenic Liverpool, yet again.

Minutes seven though 71 – especially the tenth through 45th – again show what Liverpool are capable of, as they've done in at least parts of every match except last weekend's. But one moment in the fifth minute and everything after the 71st show how much Liverpool still have to improve and still have to overcome if they're going to get anywhere near achieving their goals.

Visualized: Liverpool 1-3 Sevilla

Previous Match Infographics: West Brom (a), Chelsea (h), Watford (h), Villarreal (h), Swansea (a), Villarreal (a),Newcastle (h), Everton (h), Bournemouth (a), Dortmund (h), Stoke (h), Dortmund (a), Tottenham (h), Southampton (a), Manchester United (a), Manchester United (h), Crystal Palace (a), Manchester City (h), Manchester City [League Cup] (n), Augsburg (h), Augsburg (a), Aston Villa (a), Sunderland (h), Leicester (a), Stoke [League Cup] (h), Norwich (a), Manchester Utd (h), Arsenal (h), Stoke [League Cup] (a), West Ham (a), Sunderland (a), Leicester (h), Watford (a), West Brom (h), Sion (a), Newcastle (a), Swansea (h), Bordeaux (h), City (a), Crystal Palace (h), Rubin Kazan (a), Chelsea (a), Southampton (h), Rubin Kazan (h), Tottenham (a), Everton (a), FC Sion (h), Aston Villa (h), Norwich (h), Bordeaux (a), Manchester United (a), West Ham (h), Arsenal (a), Bournemouth (h), Stoke (a)

As always for Europa League matches, all data from WhoScored.


(Nota Bene: Here's the formation diagram usually included in match reviews.)

Life is not fair. Sometimes there isn't a storytale ending.

Liverpool needed this. We needed this. And it's all set up perfectly.

The narrative's written. First, Manchester United. Then, that comeback against Dortmund. Then, a comprehensive victory over a similar, higher-in-the-table Spanish side in Villarreal. The overwhelming parallels with Liverpool's Champions League run in Benitez's first season 11 years ago.

Liverpool weather Sevilla's brief early storm. Liverpool are denied five potential penalties – three handballs, two fouls, a handball and foul on the same move in the 12th minute, the third handball seemingly stone-cold certain – but then Liverpool score one of the prettiest strikes you'll see, when Sturridge somehow breaks every one of Newton's laws of motion to score with the outside of his left foot in the 35th minute.

Sevilla had offered next-to-nothing after the first five-to-ten minutes of somewhat frightening possession with no results. Liverpool grew in control and confidence from then on. Sevilla took just one shot in the entire first half: Gamiero's overhead on a scrambled corner, covered by Mignolet if it was on-target at his near post. Liverpool should have made more of their dominance, should have created more chances – and it's not as if we're saying this for the first time this season – but between their control and the lead and the fact that the referee was the only thing keeping Sevilla in the game and THE NARRATIVE, it seemed as if Liverpool would be okay. Liverpool would continue to do good things in the second half, eventually get the second, and lift that much-needed trophy.

Whoops.

Ever heard the phrase "a game of two halves"? The Europa League final is like its platonic essence. pic.twitter.com/l7smD8mAfz

— Michael Caley (@MC_of_A) May 18, 2016

In the future, maybe don't concede 18 seconds after the restart.

It's hard to do more than scapegoat Alberto Moreno and ready the rocket to fire him into the sun. First, the weak clearing header to Mariano on Escudero's hopeful cross-field ball. Then, brainlessly charging in and trying to tackle rather getting into position to push Mariano wide or to the byline; he gave Mariano an angle rather than removing one, and reduced the amount of time Liverpool's other defenders had to get into position. He's got a record of doing similar over and over and over and etc.

To be slightly fairer, Moreno's not the only one at fault: Coutinho wandered into the middle on the kick-off, coming in to "track" N'Zonzi (who looking like coming forward but quickly retreated into his midfield position) rather than the right-back he should be up against, leaving Moreno to defend the entire side of his pitch when Escudero crossed; both Toure and Lovren were caught flat-footed on Mariano's centered pass, marking the same space which Can pretty much had covered; and at the last second, Toure tries to play the offside trap, which wouldn't have worked and he was the only one to do so. Sigh. And let's give credit where it's due: that was a lovely step inside and nutmeg by Mariano.

Most importantly, Liverpool still had 45 minutes to reassert themselves despite the set-back. There was still an entire half left.

Put simply – maybe too simply, but I doubt it – Liverpool lost their heads. "Oh shit, here we go again. And it's the final! Why, lord, why?!" Sevilla, who hadn't won this competition the last two seasons on blind luck, didn't lose theirs. They regrouped at halftime. They got the early goal and pushed for more. They got the needed bit of luck and combined it with an absolutely brilliant 25 minutes of football.



They broke Liverpool's lines, something they'd wholly failed to do in the first half. They beat and bypassed Liverpool's counter-press, most notably on the second goal. That was a thing of beauty. A bit of patience in their own half to draw Liverpool's attackers into the press then out of position, then Vitolo to Coke to Vitolo to Banega to Vitolo to Coke to smash through Liverpool's midfield. It was pass and move football that the all-conquering Liverpool side in the 1980s would've been proud of.

Sevilla should have scored a second long before then, with Liverpool given a short reprieve first by Toure's last-ditch recovery tackle in the 48th, then Mignolet's point-blank save on Gamiero in the 60th. The first with Can and the center-backs the only Liverpool players in Liverpool's half (and all three fairly high up the pitch) as Liverpool pressed too hard too fast to get back in the game and lost consecutive aerial duels in midfield, with Gamiero released by an easy throughball; the second from a set play (Escudero's long throw) because of course there has to be at least one set play involved.

And then there's Sevilla's third. A flawless, cue-Yakety-Sax, oh-so-Liverpool capstone six minutes after Coke gave Sevilla the lead: first, Can's slip and giveaway in midfield, then Clyne's tackle at the top of the box hitting Coutinho and ricocheting perfectly for a wide-open Coke seven yards from goal, onside because of Liverpool's touches, with Mignolet unable to do much about it. As many Liverpool players were involved in the build-up to that goal as Sevilla players.

You need that bit of luck in finals. And you need talent, which Sevilla simply had more of, fully on display in the 25 minutes after halftime. And you need self-belief, which seemed to completely evaporate after Sevilla's first goal.

The belief we saw against Dortmund simply wasn't there. Liverpool did not, could not regroup. Sure, Klopp probably should have made changes earlier (*glares at 2-3 Southampton and 2-2 Newcastle*), but you've got to credit Sevilla for a good bit of that.

Got interested in the age structure of @SevillaFC_ENG squad after reading about their scouting process @EuropaLeague pic.twitter.com/8dpQOkVBSC

— FitbaFancyStats (@226blog) May 18, 2016

.And here is @LFC for comparison @EuropaLeague pic.twitter.com/ln4N9l7dmn

— FitbaFancyStats (@226blog) May 18, 2016

Experience matters. Sevilla, and the majority of these players, had been here before. Have won things before. Five of Sevilla's starters also started last year's final, with three others involved as substitutes. Liverpool, the vast majority of these players, haven't. The first hill is always hardest to climb.

This is how far Liverpool still have to go. A young side, nowhere near built in the new manager's image yet. A new manager who came in midseason, had to work with this unbalanced squad, and had to cope with numerous injuries and more matches than any of his teams' have ever played in a single season.

Yes, Liverpool lost two cup finals. And it really hurts. You can't help but wonder what might have been: both the relief of rejoining the big kids' table and the doors that qualification to next season's Champions League could have opened.

But Liverpool hadn't been in a single cup final since 2011-12, when Dalglish's side won the Carling Cup against second-division Cardiff on penalties and lost in the FA Cup to Chelsea. Those are the only two cup finals Liverpool have been in since Athens 2007. Nine years ago. Since then, we've seen Hicks and Gillett's attempt to gut the club, Benitez coming close to in the league and Europa League then getting sacked, The Hodge, Dalglish, and Rodgers. We've seen league finishes of 2nd, 7th, 6th, 8th, 7th, 2nd, 6th, and 8th.

And Klopp somehow got Liverpool to two cup finals in his first abbreviated season.

There is still a lot of work to be done. A lot of room for growth, for players individually and Liverpool as both a team and a club. And it's going to be a very interesting summer; in Klopp's first at Dortmund, they brought in 11 players (six for a fee, two free transfers, Schmelzer promoted from the youth squad, Kevin Prince-Boateng on-loan, and Sahin's return from loan) and sold or released nine.

It's been less than 24 hours, and I've mostly processed this. Accepted this. Mostly. As much as I can, and as much as I will. And I don't want to eulogize this match or this season (although, as usual, there will probably be a lot of season wrap-up graphics and stuff over the next few weeks). I just want next season now. Optimism, which still remains despite this setback and this season, is a hell of a drug. It's one we've been without for far too long.

Up the Reds.

Liverpool v Sevilla 05.18.16

2:45pm ET, live in the US on Fox Sports 1

Last three matches:
Liverpool: 1-1 West Brom (a); 1-1 Chelsea (h); 2-0 Watford (h)
Sevilla: 1-3 Athletic Bilbao (a); 1-4 Granada (h); 3-1 Shakhtar (h)

Previous EL rounds:
Liverpool: 3-0 Villarreal (h), 0-1 Villarreal (a); 4-3 Dortmund (h), 1-1 Dortmund (a); 1-1 United (a), 2-0 United (h); 1-0 Augsburg (h), 0-0 Augsburg (a); 0-0 Sion (a); 2-1 Bordeaux (h); 1-0 Kazan (a); 1-1 Kazan (h); 1-1 Sion (h); 1-1 Bordeaux (a)
Sevilla: 3-1 Shakhtar (h), 2-2 Shakhtar (a); 1-2 Athletic Bilbao (h), 2-1 Athletic Bilbao (a); 3-0 Basel (h), 0-0 Basel (a); 0-1 Molde (a), 3-0 Molde (h)

Goalscorers (Europe):
Liverpool: Lallana 3; Coutinho, Milner, Origi, Sturridge 2; Benteke, Can, Firmino, Ibe, Lovren, Sakho 1
Sevilla: Gamiero 8; Llorente 3; Banega, Kolodziejczak, Konoplyanka, Rami, Vitolo 2; Iborra, Mariano, Tremoulinas 1

Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE)

Coincidentally, the last time Liverpool saw Jonas Eriksson was the last time Liverpool were in Basel: a 0-1 loss in last year's Champions League group stage. No, that wasn't the match where Markovic was sent off.

Guess at a line-up:
Mignolet
Clyne Lovren Toure Moreno
Milner Can
Lallana Firmino Coutinho
Sturridge

Gulp. Has it really been nine years since Liverpool were last in a European final? Deep breaths, deep breaths, deep breaths...

We're all but certain what Liverpool's side will look like. Nine of the XI are nailed-on starters. Origi's in the squad, but almost certainly only available as a substitute. The only question seems whether Henderson's actually ready to start, and if he is, whether he replaces Milner or Lallana. Either way, it should be 4-2-3-1, with Henderson and Can in midfield and either Lallana or Milner ostensibly on the right.

If Henderson does start, I suspect it's Lallana left out. Milner can press and cross from an "attacking right" position – he doesn't press as effectively as Lallana, he's not as dangerous with the ball, but he's arguably been more important to the attack this season – with Lallana better suited to be an attacking change coming off the bench. But I still think it's Henderson left on the bench, just because he's been out for a while and has struggled with injuries throughout the season. Trust the line-up which won 3-0 against Villarreal. Dance with the one that brung you.

Either way, I'd rather not see Liverpool in a 4-3-3. That way lies Firmino on the right. That way lies less attacking cohesion and a more defensive Liverpool. That way usually lies a less impressive Liverpool. League record be damned, Sevilla are a very good side, especially in this competition and especially on the counter-attack. But Liverpool have gotten to this point by playing their game, not by reacting to the opposition.

But we're still less certain which Liverpool we'll get. The more defensive (and, yes, often 4-3-3) Liverpool who twice drew 1-1 and once lost 0-1 away in the last three knockout rounds, or the more attacking Liverpool who won 2-0, 4-3, and 3-0 in the home legs? It won't be Anfield, but I suspect it'll still be a fairly partisan crowd. As it was in Istanbul 11 years ago, in Athens nine years ago.

Rise to the occasion. Play your game.

Meanwhile, Sevilla gave up on the league even more than Liverpool, finishing seventh, 12 points behind fourth-place Villarreal (they finished fifth in 2014-15, 16 points ahead of Villarreal). They won just one of their last nine league matches – a 2-0 derby win over Real Betis – drawing one and losing seven. Seven. They lost the last two (since qualifying for the EL final) by margins of 1-4 and 1-3, with vastly changed XIs. And like Liverpool, Sevilla haven't qualified for Europe next season due to their league failings, although they still have the chance to be in the Europa League even if they lose tomorrow by beating Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final.

Sevilla didn't win a single away match in La Liga this season – nine draws and ten losses – and won only one of their seven European away matches. Let's hope playing in Basel still feels like an away match for them.

Having not watched Sevilla often (read: pretty much at all) this season, my best guess at their XI is the same which won 3-1 over Shakhtar to advance to this final. Soria; Mariano, Rami, Carrico, Tremoulinas; Krychowiak, N'Zonzi; Coke, Banega, Vitolo; Gamiero. Coke is usually a right-back, but started in attack against Shakhtar; if Emery chooses a more orthodox winger, it'll probably be Konoplyanka, who's fit again after an injury worry but started on the bench against Shakhtar despite being fit for that match. Jose Antonio Reyes and Michael Krohn-Dehli are their only injury absences.

Sevilla's goals in the 3-1 win over Shakhtar seem a good demonstration of what they're capable of in attack. The first came from Gamiero's awareness, dispossessing a dawdling defender then running straight at goal. It wasn't a concerted press, although they'll do that at times, but just paying attention. The second, Krychowiak's through-ball for Gamiero, came just after halftime to deflate the opposition, less than two minutes after the restart, less than three minutes after Shakhtar had leveled the score. The third, Mariano from distance with Shakhtar's defenders backing off, a first-time strike before the defense could get into position, sealed the match.

Sevilla don't play a possession game – averaging slightly less than 50% in La Liga – but not every one of their goals is a lightning counter-attack or a set play, like Liverpool's last Spanish opponent. They don't score tons, especially in the league, but they've scored 14 through the eight knockout matches: three matches with three (all at home), two matches with two, one match with one, and two matches with none. But they score when it matters, as they did against Shakhtar. And Kevin Gamiero is at the heart of it.

Gamiero, with 28 goals in all competitions, has scored more than Liverpool's top two players combined (Coutinho and Sturridge, each with 12). He's scored as many Europa League goals as Lallana, Coutinho, and Sturridge combined, and Sevilla's only been in this competition since the Round of 32.

The only starter in the above guess at Sevilla's XI under 26 years old is the goalkeeper, 23-year-old David Soria (34-year-old Beto's the usual keeper in La Liga, but Soria's started all eight in this competition). Rami and Tremoulinas are 30; Mariano, Coke, and Gamiero are 29; Carrico, N'Zonzi (yes, that N'Zonzi), and Banega are 27; Krychowiak and Vitolo (and Konoplyanka) are 26. They're an experienced side. And the majority of them have been here before.

Long story short, Sevilla just win in this competition. They do *just enough* in the knockout rounds, and then perform in the finals. They're the title holders the last two years running, and no side has ever won three years in a row.

This will be Liverpool's 63rd match of the season. It'll be Sevilla's 62nd, with the Copa del Rey final to come on Sunday. It is the culmination of both sides' seasons. If they win, the season's a success, league results be damned and forgotten. If they don't, it's a failure, simple as.

So don't fail.