3 things Jurgen Klopp must change from 1st leg against Atletico Madrid to win

Jurgen Klopp has never lost a two-legged tie in Europe as the manager of Liverpool Football Club. Since arriving at Anfield, the German has changed the fortunes of the club who were languishing in mediocrity, and he has taken them back to the days of dominance. However, the former Dortmund manager faces his biggest challenge yet in the form of Atletico Madrid at Anfield in the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16.

After a 1-0 loss at the Wanda Metropolitano, the onus is on the home team to score at least one goal without conceding to avoid getting knocked out. The performance away in Spain left much to be desired from the defending European champions, and no one will know it more than Klopp, who has led this Liverpool team to three European finals.

Atletico Madrid stands in the way of a possible third consecutive Champions League final, and Klopp and Liverpool will be giving it their all at Anfield to win against Diego Simeone's determined side. Here, we take a look at three things which the manager should do to emerge victorious on Wednesday night -

1. Target the set-piece situation on both ends

A set-piece was Liverpool's undoing in the first leg

Before conceding to Atletico through a corner routine, Liverpool held the best record of defending from set-pieces in England, having conceded from only one set piece every 1200 minutes. After they got their early goal, the home team sat back and let Liverpool pass the ball around without letting them get a sight of goal.

Liverpool's defence has dealt with set-pieces immensely well and the same can be said about Atletico's. Simeone's team are renowned for their defensive prowess, and that is a strong factor when it comes to defending corners and free-kicks where the ball is whipped in the box. This season, the Reds have managed to get their fair share of goals from corners, and it is an area that they should look to exploit against their opponents on Wednesday night.

The home team need at least one goal to advance or take the game to extra-time, but they also need to be wary of not conceding. The likes of Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez are always a threat from set-pieces, and the responsibility of coming up with something from dead ball situations will fall to them. Opposition centre-backs Stefan Savic and Felipe will need to be both attacked, and contained throughout the game.

It is hard to see Atletico score a goal from open play at Anfield given their usual style of play and Liverpool's strong defence in home European ties, so the game could well be decided through corners and indirect free-kicks. As such, this is an area that Klopp should be targeting.

2. More directness and speed from midfield

Could Jordan Henderson be the key for Liverpool?

Believe it or not, Liverpool have a very bad record in European away games under Klopp. Despite reaching two Champions League finals in a row, the Reds have struggled away against the big teams such as Barcelona, AS Roma, Napoli, and Atletico Madrid. Many people blame Klopp's selection of a "workhorse" midfield in these games as one of the major reasons why the team fails, and that argument does have its merits.

In the first leg, Liverpool had over 70% of the possession and completed more than three times the passes which Atletico did - yet, they could muster not one shot on target. The passing from the midfield was slow, with no decisiveness and a lack of a final through ball which any of the front 3 could latch on to. That is essentially where Liverpool lost the game, as they had no creativity from their midfield three of Fabinho, Georgino Wijnaldum, and Jordan Henderson.

Captain Henderson got injured during the end of the game and has not featured for Liverpool since, but he could play a part in this game. What Klopp needs is his midfield to be more creative and pass the ball quicker and into better spaces, as conservative sideways passing and moving the ball slowly will have no benefits against a low block, a deep defending team such as Atletico.

Henderson excelled in the #6 role in the absence of Fabinho, and the manager could decide to move the midfielder back there so that he can release the ball quick and long when the situation arises. The inclusion of Naby Keita is also an option, as the midfielder is adept at creating chances through his quick dribbling and passing skills. This game could very well be decided in the middle of the park, and Liverpool needs to do more with the ball as they will have the majority of the possession again.

3. Better coordination and movement between the front three and the fullbacks

It is no secret that the bulk of Liverpool's chances come through counter-attacks and the ability of both their fullbacks to create opportunities down the wide flanks. The duo of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson have been the best fullback pairing in the world since the start of last season, but both of them had an off night in Madrid which resulted in the drab display we saw.

Liverpool's front three of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, and Mohamed Salah are adept at creating chances for themselves, but they looked isolated and out of ideas in the final third against a staunch Atletico defence which gave them no space. Simeone was smart and he also suffocated Alexander-Arnold and Robertson in the wide areas, which resulted in lots of inaccurate passes into the box which no attacker could make much of.

Klopp will need to figure out a way to give his fullback more space for them to create. At the same time, the front three need to switch positions and latch on to the perfect spaces themselves to give their teammates a bit of room to pass the ball, which either of Mane, Salah, or Firmino, can collect. Given Liverpool's pace, dribbling prowess and positioning skills, the fullback's ability to create one good chance combined with the skillset of the front three would be Klopp's ideal go-to movement for the club to score. If the fullbacks have an off-game or are stifled yet again, the team's chances of winning look bleak.