Blood Red from Barcelona: Mixed emotions, Gomez gamble, and no complaints over Suarez antics

Before flying back to England, our Liverpool FC reporting team of James Pearce and Ian Doyle recorded their third Blood Red podcast of the week from Barcelona, this time from the city's airport. The mood is mixed - and understandably so. The Reds have given themselves a mountain to climb by losing their Champions League semi-final first leg 3-0 but as James explains, there was much to admire about the brave, bold performance produced by Jurgen Klopp's side at Camp Nou. Sadly, the one thing lacking was a finishing touch, which is something you could not accuse Lionel Messi of not having. James and Ian wonder how you can stop the Barcelona genius and, as much as the result pained them, what a privilege it was to watch Messi at the peak of his powers. But did Liverpool and Klopp help themselves with the formation, selection and timing of substitutions? James and Ian discuss Joe Gomez, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Gini Wijnaldum and Roberto Firmino before outlining why no Red can complain about Luis Suarez's antics. The duo also debate the display of Barca's other Anfield old boy, Philippe Coutinho, and why his withdrawal was such a big turning point, before talk turns to the second leg, Liverpool's chance of a comeback, and the huge match on Saturday in the race for the Premier League title. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices