Former Liverpool transfer chief reveals masterplan that defeated Jurgen Klopp's side
Damien Comolli has revealed how Toulouse produced their shock win over Liverpool in the Europa League.
The French club’s president previously spent 18 months as director of football at Anfield, more than a decade ago. He was one of the first appointments made by FSG and was most notably responsible for the deadline day signings of Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll due to the departure of Fernando Torres in January 2011, as well as bringing future sporting director Michael Edwards to the club as head of analytics.
Commoli’s mixed hit rate with signings continued into the summer, with the likes of Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing and Charlie Adam making their way to Merseyside. Liverpool did win the League Cup during his tenure but he was ultimately sacked in April 2012 after a disappointing league campaign.
It appears that Commolli has learned from his previous experiences, though. Toulouse have been transformed from a recent Ligue 2 side to winning the French Cup and battling Liverpool in the Europa League. Having suffered a 5-1 defeat at Anfield last month, the former Liverpool chief explained how Toulouse masterminded their 3-2 home victory in the reverse fixture.
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“Without sounding arrogant, we planned for it,” Comolli said, as reported by The Athletic. “We knew the game at Anfield was going to be hell, but we thought, ‘We can do something at home’, so we approached it differently. It was not unexpected.
“We are extremely data-driven on all our football decisions. How we recruit coaches, players; the way we attack, defend; shoot, don’t
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