Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool produced a ‘superficial and arrogant’ performance during their shocking 4-1 Champions League group-stage defeat in Napoli, former Italy international Massimo Ambrosini tells Amazon Prime.
On Tuesday night, two managers paid for an opening day defeat with their jobs. Shortly after Thomas Tuchel was given his marching orders by Chelsea, Domenico Tedesco was packing up his things and saying goodbye to life at RB Leipzig.
Now, there is absolutely no suggestion that the same fate is going to befall Jurgen Klopp. If any coach in world football has more than enough credit in the bank and the support to ride out a storm, it’s him.
But the latest in an increasingly long line of feeble, bordering on gutless Liverpool performances will only add weight to the argument that this is a squad on it’s last legs. Has the hunger gone after so many successes? Is this the end of an era?
Make no mistake, the autopsy is only beginning.
Liverpool lose 4-1 to Napoli in Champions League group-stages
“An un-exceptionable result at the end of an excellent performance by Napoli,” says four-time Serie A winner Ambrosini, hailing a Partenopei side who scored four times against last season’s runners-up and could easily have bagged a whole lot more.
“If Napoli had to send a signal at European level; well, I think there could not have been a better signal.
“Liverpool? Of all the merits of Napoli, we must also talk about the superficial and arrogant attitude of Klopp’s team.”
The Merseyside giants have won just two of seven games since beating Manchester City in July’s Community Shield; that opening day draw at Fulham setting the tone for what was to come.
Joe Gomez and the increasingly under-fire Trent Alexander-Arnold simply could not cope with the outrageous Kvicha Kvaratshkelia. Fabinho looked all at sea in midfield. Mo Salah was once again a shadow of his usually irrepressible self. And what on earth has happened to Virgil van Dijk over the last couple of weeks?
“We were superb tonight,” beams Napoli coach Luciano Spaletti, who’s side roared into a 3-0 lead before half-time. “Thoroughly deserved the win.
“It’s a big result, especially considering the calibre of the opposition. We played our game without letting up. Liverpool are a world-class side and my players produced a top-quality performance.”
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