Former Liverpool midfielder James Milner has spoken about what Jurgen Klopp told his players ahead of their Champions League win over Barcelona.Milner, 38, played a key role for the club during his eight years at Liverpool and won seven major trophies starting in the 2015/16 season ahead of Klopp.
He also started in midfield against Barcelona on that famous night at Anfield, overcoming a three-goal first-leg deficit to reach the final in Madrid. Vincent Kompany’s late goal against Leicester City, a day before the dramatic game, gave Manchester City a lead over Liverpool that lasted until the final day of the season, with United less than 24 hours into the game . With Lionel Messi.
Milner claimed it was a major blow at the time, but it was something Liverpool and Klopp ignored before facing Barca. “This is the best [night at Anfield] for me,” Milner told Geoff Stelling in a special interview on his Football’s Greatest podcast. “City needed to drop a point last night and then we needed Vinny (Vincent Kompany). I’ve seen him do it hundreds of times in training and he’s determined to do it.”
“Time’s up,” he joked.”I went in on the day of the game and the coach said, ‘Does anyone have anything to say about yesterday’s game?’ said. Not? Okay, here we go.” It looked like a no-contest, but it’s good to beat Barcelona like that. “The missing players, what happened the night before, the disappointment and how we handled it.”
