Liverpool has been humbled as the team were trashed by Napoli in the Champions League. According to reports, it was as though Jurgen Klopp’s team looked like newcomers rather than seasoned experienced players. They have been season finalists for the past few years, yet this can still happen to them.
It is said to have been the poorest European performance by Klopp in his almost seven year tenure. It is hard to imagine any circumstance in the football world that would be as difficult or comparable to the one that Klopp is in right now. Klopp then had to apologise to the supporters after the match.
He wanted his team to use the basic football tricks by having better defence and slowing down on the aggressiveness while playing away from home. Unfortunately for Klopp, his team did not follow through with his strategy as their performance show.
Liverpool delivered a substandard performance where the team’s defence had been broken through multiple times. Napoli managed to score their first goal within 31 minutes of the game, the goal was scored by Andre-Frank Zambo. This energised Napoli to the point team could have scored more goals.
Liverpool had barely put up a fight against Napoli according to the press and with Klopp’s approach it put a strict demand for dedication from hus players and they failed to follow through. The team looked disorganised and had difficulty in controlling the ball. It is said that the players weren’t giving their best as not all were contributing during the game.
The double twist in irony is that, previously when Manchester United was slacking, Klopp advised Erik ten Hag publicly on how to deal with his situation. The next irony is Chelsea’s star manager, Thomas Tuchel was sacked with practically no notice for reasons not as bad as Klopp’s.
The nature of being a football manager is not an easy one as the media would often scrutinise them, and they’d have the club owners to answer to. To top it all off, they’d have to have a sense of control over their players, regardless of any feuds or incompatibility among them.
Harvey Elliott and Luis Diaz have been the stars that saved Liverpool on numerous occasions, but even with them, the team seems to be at breaking point. The seasoned players have been under Jurgen Klopp’s strict management style for at least half a decade at this point.
The media joked that the players are suffering from a problem called the ‘Klopp tax’ where a few years have been added to their age. This is due to them suffering through this season regardless of their spirit and perseverance.