Napoli 4 Liverpool 1: Horrendous Reds ripped to shreds as shaky start to the season continues in Champions League
JURGEN KLOPP will not be getting the Thomas Tuchel treatment this morning.
Yet although safe as houses on the job front, here was a truly terrible night for Klopp at his least favourite stadium.
His increasingly beleaguered team was weak, rudderless, ripped to shreds and particularly in the first half, totally embarrassed.
For Klopp and this team, which came so close to land the quadruple, being made to look foolish will have hurt more than anything.
Losing to Napoli is nothing new for Klopp with Liverpool as this was third time unlucky. Even so, this one felt different.
Here was a night in southern Italy when it felt this Liverpool team really has peaked.
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Just two wins in six, without a single triumph away from home, illustrates that this was not one madcap blip for this team.
Klopp celebrates his seventh anniversary as Liveprool manager next month and it is a number which is significant.
The German spent seven years at both Mainz and Dortmund before burn-out and there will be talk that Klopp is heading the same way.
In fairness to Napoli, they were brilliant.
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Piotr Zielinski, who got the first from the penalty spot and then the fourth, made the unbeaten Serie A side tick going forward.
Andre-Frank Anguissa, Fulham’s record £30million signing who never scored a goal, grabbed the second. Sub Giovanni Simeone – whose dad Diego does not like Klopp very much – made it 3-0 minutes after coming on as a sub.
For virtually the entire first half, before going off injured, Liverpool were run ragged by Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen. Although he missed a penalty, he was a real handful and is a player we will soon see in the Premier League.
And then there was the brilliant Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia who inflicted 45 minutes of utter misery on Joe Gomez who was replaced at half-time by Joel Matip.
They were all just too good for Liverpool.
Maybe with the exception of Luis Diaz who pulled one back with a decent strike, all of Klopp’s side had shockers.
Liverpool’s fans had been warned about going out in Naples where the locals like to target football fans and stab them up the backside. But from the first minute, it was Klopp’s team who were having their pants pulled down.
Osimhen hit the post after 42 seconds and not even four minutes had been on the clock when Napoli were awarded a penalty for a handball by James Milner. Zielinski sent Alisson the wrong way.
It was easy to forget Napoli also missed a penalty after VAR decided that Virgil van Dijk brought down Osimhen. Rather than allow Zielinksi to make it 2-0, Osimhen wanted his moment of glory and was punished for a stuttering run-up with the save by Alisson.
Mo Salah managed Liverpool’s first decent effort on the half hour and seconds later, Klopp’s team were punished for more horrific defending.
Anguissa started and finished the move which featured a brilliant one-two with Zielinski who took out Gomez, Fabinho and ALexander-Arnold with one perfectly-weighted pass. Anguissa struck a shot underneath an exposed Alisson.
Even though striker Osimhen went off injured, Napoli still got a third just before the break thanks to sub Simeone,
Anguissa produced wonderful showboating which Richarlison would have been proud of. He did a neat twirl to round Bobby Firmino in midfield, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia walked past Alexander-Arnold and overpowered Gomes before squaring for Simeone.
Just 82 seconds into the second half, Zielinski lifted the ball over Alisson for a fourth after his first shot was saved. Diaz pulled one back immediately from 20 yards but ultimately, Liverpool had lost the contest from the opening minute.
The Reds should still get out of the group stages and in 2018, they lost here 1-0 and won the Champions League.
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But for now, Klopp and his weary, battle-scarred squad cannot look any further than the home game with Wolves on Saturday.
Because if Liverpool keep playing like this, then the completion of Klopp’s seventh year at Anfield will feel more uncomfortable than just an itch.