Tuesday 24 April 2018 09:13, UK
Phil Thompson warns that Roma pose a very different threat to what Liverpool are used to ahead of their Champions League semi-final clash.
Liverpool saw off Pep Guardiola's slick Manchester City side to land a draw against Roma, who caused a huge upset in overcoming a three-goal deficit to oust favourites Barcelona.
However, Thommo insists that the Serie A side boast the defensive and physical capabilities to trouble Jurgen Klopp's side, who were held to a 2-2 draw by West Brom on Saturday after conceding from two late set-pieces.
Thompson told Sky Sports: "Roma have got the ability to frustrate Liverpool, whereas Manchester City can't do that and Bayern Munich or Real wouldn't do that, so it is a whole different prospect for the team.
"They're direct with Edin Dzeko as the target-man and I'd expect them to target the full-backs with diagonal balls whenever they get into the final third.
"Roma actually played very well in the first-leg against Barcelona and we saw them battle Barca into submission, so we've got to be ready for that.
"We'll have more possession but it is a different sort of game with their defensive strength. Daniele De Rossi is a great defender and a great organiser in front of their backline.
"You want to get off to a good start but, even though we're an attacking outfit, the focus has got be on the defence, to keep the back door shut, as keeping a clean sheet is absolutely crucial because we know what they are capable of back in Rome."
The Soccer Saturday pundit does, however, believe Liverpool's defence has make significant improvements, dismissing the relevance of their late disappointment against West Brom.
He added: "We have been a lot stronger since Virgil van Dijk has been in the defence, the 'keeper has been better and so have Dejan Lovren, while Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson have been really impressive.
"When Jurgen brought in Joe Gomez and Alberto Moreno it seemed to have unsettled the team, so when West Brom went a bit longer they had some joy, so it was a similar test in terms of bombarding the penalty area rather than trying to pass, pass, pass.
"However, at 2-0 up they were slightly complacent at the end, whereas West Brom were fighting for their lives, and conceding those sort of goals hasn't been the norm for some time now.
"Sometimes you need a kick up the backside and hopefully Saturday will serve as that ahead of dealing with Roma's direct threat."
