Liverpool players were jubilant on the pitch on Wednesday night. After 90 minutes of hectic football against Villarreal in the Champions League semi-final, the Reds had advanced to contest the final in Paris at the end of the month.
As every player celebrated with supporters, Jurgen Klopp focused on having a quiet word with Diogo Jota. The Portuguese forward had been substituted after just 45 minutes of the clash as Liverpool desperately attempted to overturn their shambolic first-half display.
The six-time winners of the tournament were 2-0 down inside 41 minutes against Unai Emery's side. The Spanish outfit had sparked the type of comeback in Europe that Liverpool had developed a reputation for over the years.
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Something had to change at the break, and the popular call was for Jordan Henderson to be introduced in place of Naby Keita, as many believed the leadership qualities of the Reds captain to be lacking in the first half.
Henderson almost assumes the role of a coach on the pitch. He is known for being vocal, disciplined and experienced, and Liverpool looked as though they needed him. The players in red were falling short of their usual standards by some distance.
However, despite the flow of the match, Klopp identified a bigger priority. The problem wasn't leadership, it was tactical. His offensive trio - particularly Jota - were not fluid enough against Emery's man-oriented defenders.
The German boss described his attackers as 'too static' after the bout. They needed to interchange positions and link to a higher level in order to disorganise the Villarreal defence and present their opponents with more concerns to manage.
Liverpool are accustomed to facing man-marking schemes. The likes of Leeds United, Atalanta and Inter Milan have attempted to deal with Klopp's forward one-on-one during his time in charge, with the 54-year-old encouraging freedom of movement as a result.
Keita wasn't at his best in the first half and he misplaced a number of passes, but Klopp knew he wasn't the overwhelming problem. Like the rest of his teammates, the Guinean midfielder simply needed to start playing football.
"All of a sudden when we broke the lines, when we found Naby and Trent in the half-spaces, and when the front three were more flexible, not fixed in position, all of a sudden we were in the game, scored goals, and made it happen," said Klopp in his post-match interview.
It was yet another example of Klopp's tactical acumen. He is an expert at analysing problems in real time before making changes to fix those issues. In fact, his in-game management and switch to 4-2-4 is what delivered three points against Everton almost two weeks ago.
With an unprecedented quadruple in sight as six matches of the campaign remain, Klopp is stepping up. His players are assuming most of the spotlight but whenever it is his turn to take centre stage, he's delivering with decisive moves.
