Liverpool’s poor start to 2022/23 was made even worse after a humiliating 4-1 loss to Napoli on Wednesday, and it’s clear something needs to change if they are to have any chance of contending for titles this season.
Naples has been an unhappy hunting ground for Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool in recent years, and with Luciano Spalletti’s side unbeaten in all competitions this campaign, everything points to another test trip to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
However, no one could have foreseen the way the Reds would capitulate as they did in the first half, with Napoli cutting Liverpool’s backline at will.
Here, This Is Anfield’s Jack Sear (@JackSear) joins Danny Gallagher (@Danny7Gallagher) and Mario Aquilina (@mario_aquilina2) to discuss a miserable start to Liverpool’s Champions League campaign and what exactly needs to be done to ensure your form improves sooner. what later
Is it fair to say that the result had been coming?
DANNY: It seemed inevitable that a game, sooner or later, was going to end like this.
Napoli didn’t even have to be at their A grade, which is the most insulting element of all.
This disconnect in the Liverpool squad, which has been showing flashes in recent weeks, was wide open, and a hostile European away pitch was the ideal setting to facilitate this.
MARIO: While I agree that Liverpool have been far from good enough recently, I wouldn’t say that our previous performances suggested that we would be so beaten here.
While we haven’t been particularly impressive defensively, we had only conceded one goal in the previous three games.
However, with the way Napoli have been playing this season (a more direct game since Lorenzo Insigne left), our very high line and, more importantly, our forwards and midfielders seemingly unable to press early and with Effectively enough, this was a game that exploited our current weaknesses to the fullest.
Once again we’ve been outplayed and once again we’ve conceded early in the game.
JACK: Yes. Given previous performances at Napoli, I don’t think a lot of Liverpool fans were particularly hopeful going into this game, but falling apart the way we did was really inexcusable.
In fact, we created more space than we have created there in recent years, but we completely shot ourselves in the foot with the lack of cohesion in defense and midfield.
Something has to change.
Thiago’s cameo showed us what we had been missing in midfield, didn’t it?
mario: sure. He was a level or three above when he came in, both in possession and defensively, earning more tackles than anyone on our team in just 30 minutes.
The absence of Thiago and Keita, who normally came in for him, along with Fabinho’s poor form and the fact that Milner had to be used too often given his age, have been key factors in this poor start.
We’re getting hurt in transitions and our buildup has been slow and erratic. However, beyond midfield, a key problem is the team’s poor physical form.
Aside from the fact that we’ve had about 12 injuries already, including many players who missed significant portions of preseason, the players who haven’t been injured seem, with a few exceptions like Luis Diaz and Harvey Elliott, tired and sluggish. .
Then there is the attack. Darwin Nunez has great potential at number nine, but I don’t think we’re playing a game that works well for him. Roberto Firmino still has great touch, but he too seems to have lost a yard or two and isn’t pressing as well as we’re used to.
JACK: It was great to see Thiago back, and you could instantly see his ball retention improve when he came in, but the sad reality is that he can’t play every game. Klopp shouldn’t have to depend on him.
DANNY: Definitely. His cameo was brilliant and deservedly acclaimed by Klopp afterwards. The counter press was almost non-existent until he arrived.
It’s a concern, as it suggests those on the pitch didn’t have the drive to stick to the usual game plan of exhaustively pressing space, on and off the ball.
If Liverpool lose that entirely, we’re looking at a very troublesome period ahead.
With Nunez and Jota back in the mix, is it time to give Salah a break against the Wolves?
JACK: Difficult. He would certainly make some changes to the attack. In an ideal world, both he and Diaz will receive some form of rest before the international break, where both are likely to feature for their country.
Whether Wolves is the right time to remove Salah, I’m not sure. There’s really no other natural player on the right side unless you put Elliott there.
DANNY: Removing Mo Salah in the second half was a great statement from Klopp. We have seen repeatedly in years past his usual method of always leaving Salah, even if it came to Sadio Mane’s fury.
Replacing him in Naples was a public rallying cry, telling the talisman that he is not doing enough.
Leaving him for Wolves would be audacious, but Salah isn’t one to sit back and just be happy with his huge contract, especially with Erling Haaland currently sucking all the plaudits from the Premier League.
For that reason, it may be a risk worth taking.
MARIO: He’s been strangely off in recent games. Neither close to his level nor good enough. However, as you say Jack, as a right forward, none of the alternatives we have is an improvement.
Diogo Jota was erratic and ineffective when he entered. He too has been away for a long time and is not ready yet.
I wonder if instead of dropping Salah, a possible solution could be to tweak the formation a bit, either for Nunez to play early on or for Salah to be in more central positions than recently.
Although the key will be in the center of the field. The sooner we can get Thiago on the pitch, and the more alternatives we have there, the stronger the team will be.
