Liverpool FC’s manager used Google to pick his captain for a crucial Champions League match

Jürgen Klopp and Philippe Coutinho.Getty Images

• Jürgen Klopp looked online to see which LFC player had been there longest.
• It was Philippe Coutinho, whom he made captain against Spartak Moscow.
• It looks like a good call, as Coutinho scored an incredible hat-trick which contributed to a 7-0 victory.

Liverpool FC manager Jürgen Klopp said that used Google to work out who should wear the captain’s armband during the club’s match against Spartak Moscow on Wednesday.

Klopp used the search engine to check who was the club’s longest-reigning player, discovered it was midfield playmaker Philippe Coutinho, and picked the Brazilian as his captain.

“He was the longest servant on the pitch tonight in the line-up, it was clear that he was the captain,” Klopp told ITV after the game. “He’s here since 2013, I had to Google it, to be honest.”

Klopp’s decision to pick Coutinho as skipper was vindicated in the fourth minute as the 25-year-old calmly converted a penalty kick, after Mohamed Salah was fouled.

Ten minutes later, Coutinho got his second goal after some one-touch attacking football provided the midfielder with a straight-forward finish from close range. Coutinho added a third, via a deflection, in the second half.

Roberto Firmino and Salah also scored but the pick of the bunch arrived in the second half when Sadio Mané buried the ball into the top corner with an exquisite, highlight-reel, volley. Mané later scored a second.

You can see all seven goals, including Coutinho’s hat-trick and Mané’s sensational volley, here:

Liverpool’s 7-0 romp capped an incredible group stage record as the club topped Group E with three wins and three draws.

As group winners, it will face a side who finished as an unseeded runner-up when the draw for the Champions League knockout round is announced on December 11.