Klopp: What changed at 2-0? Nacho came on. He was amazing. Mr. Reliable showed his importance once again

Such players are worth their weight in gold. Not on the transfer market, but definitely with all coaches. Nacho, Mr Reliable, has once again shown why he is such an important player for Real Madrid. And even Jürgen Klopp appreciated it.

“One club man”. That’s the nickname of Nacho Fernández, who has never worn any other jersey than that of Real Madrid in his career. And he’s never been a star or even a member of the starting line-up.

Practically since his promotion to the team, Nacho has been a patch-it-all. His primary position is stopper, but he’s also played on both ends of the defense and has tried his hand at defensive midfielder.

The unique thing about Nacho is that he virtually never plays badly. No matter what position you put him in, at any stage of the game, Mr Reliable will always do a quality job. In his entire career at Real, he has never complained about a lack of playing time, he has always worked quietly and when given the space, he has never failed.

It was only this year, after 13 years, that Nacho first expressed his dissatisfaction. But it must be said, rightly so. Last season, he contributed to winning the Champions League and La Liga with great performances, but Real brought in Rüdiger in the summer, putting Nacho on the back burner.

In fact, he became a fourth-choice stopper and was practically absent from the field in the autumn. “I felt really bad at the beginning of the season. I didn’t deserve the situation. My future is not yet certain, the club is offering me an extension, but I have to think about it,” Nacho said after the Liverpool game.

The Liverpool defender

However, January injuries to some players have brought him back into the line-up and Nacho has won back his role in the team. He showed everyone why he is so crucial and indispensable to the team.

The beginning of the match was absolutely not catching for Real Madrid. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah were tearing up David Alaba’s calendar on the right wing, with virtually all the danger coming through Liverpool’s right side.

By the 27th minute, Alaba was injured and a cold and unwarmed Nacho had to take the field. Practically suicide to go and play at another post against a Salah so rattled and still unruffled after half an hour on the bench.

Only Nacho absolutely clogged up Real’s burning left side, Salah got nothing else in and Los Blancos turned the game around with five goals. Jürgen Klopp also noticed the contribution of the Royal Club’s offspring.

“Why did we stop being dangerous through Alexander-Arnold’s side? Nacho. Nacho came on the pitch. He was amazing. I don’t know how many years he has been at Real Madrid, but he was great,” the Liverpool coach complimented him.

With Mendy injured and Alaba freshly injured, Nacho will probably be needed to fill in at left-back in the next few games. Meanwhile, Real Madrid are not expecting anything easy at all, welcoming Atlético Madrid at home this weekend and then challenging Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey.

Source: Kiyan Sobhani, Twitter, UEFA