Liverpool concluded their Champions League group stage fixtures on Tuesday evening with a win over Napoli at Anfield.
The Italian side arrived at the home of the Reds having not lost a single match this season, though saw their unbeaten streak ended courtesy of goals from Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez. Jurgen Klopp will now be hoping his players can put in a similar performance against Tottenham Hotspur this weekend in a bid to climb the table.
Reflecting on the Reds' midweek triumph and upcoming Premier League game, four Liverpool supporters have shared their views as part of a regular ECHO fan column.
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Rhys Buchanan (city centre, @Rhys_Buchanan) - Konate must keep his place in team
The wider footballing world might still be relishing the notion that ‘it's all falling apart at Liverpool’ at the moment, but anyone who has watched us in Europe will know the castle isn’t crumbling.
We’ve just made it to the last-16 of the Champions League and have put in more than a few convincing performances in our group. For me, there’s enough green shoots and flashes of Liverpool magic to believe we can still have the last laugh. The problem is, I’ve been optimistic before and been deflated in spectacular fashion plenty of times this season.
That win against a solid Napoli side was exactly the tonic I needed after that last gasp Leeds disappointment. Seeing Ibrahima Konate back in the ranks felt like an enormous boost. While all the talk has rightfully centred around Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota, Konate has also been a huge loss in the last few months. I think he should definitely be starting at the weekend at Spurs to help us find that bit of defensive consistency we all so badly crave.
Andrew Cullen (Widnes, @brothersred5) - Moving Trent to midfield remains viable option
Liverpool’s Jekyll and Hyde season continues, with the Reds again showing last weekend against Leeds that they are capable of transforming from the sublime to the silly.
To stretch the monster analogy a little further, Liverpool’s performances have been a mishmash this season, with some surges of brilliance, commingled with lifeless, limp play.
Despite the spirit of our side being a little drowsy this year, we did see an energetic performance midweek against Napoli, with Nunez breathing life into the front line to ensure that Liverpool banished their Naples nightmare.
Spurs away feels pivotal. Stray further from the pack, and Liverpool’s challenge to secure top four this year seems greater still.
We are yearning for defensive discipline and midfield magic. Why not move Trent to midfield and utilise James Milner, Calvin Ramsay or Joe Gomez at full-back? This move may not be the panacea to Liverpool’s woes, it may awaken the mentality monsters.
David Shams (Washington D.C., @ShamsWriter) - Squad refresh required
It’s hard to believe there are only three matches remaining before the World Cup. Most Liverpool fans would be lying if they said they weren’t looking forward to the respite. Any season is going to be a grind, but this one seems more arduous than others.
Maybe it’s because it feels like hope is lost. Maybe it’s because there’s no consistency. Maybe it’s because there’s a real possibility that the high we’ve been riding since the 2017/18 season may be coming to a close.
Five seasons' worth of battles where every point and goal has meant so much has to take its toll. But, as Reds fans everywhere would point out, there’s been very little action at refreshing the squad. Nine of the starting eleven from the Champions League final in June 2019 remain in the squad (that number is four for Spurs).
Much can be said about consistency and reliability, but rejuvenation of the club and reloading for the next fight requires a consistent injection of new players who can make big impacts. This season may be lost, even if a trophy in one of the cups could salvage it, but future ones depend on a more holistic approach to recruitment.
James Noble (Worcestershire, @james_noble98) - Return to 4-3-3 could be the answer vs Spurs
Tuesday felt like a night very well spent. It was pouring with rain going to and from the 2-0 win over Napoli at Anfield – as if to emphasise how the Champions League has, at times, seemed somewhat like a floodlit escape from a wider storm so far this season.
It’s not quite that simple, of course (although the weather felt that bit too biblical not to make use of). There have been good and bad moments both in the league and in Europe – the continental ratio has just been somewhat cheerier.
With Anfield right at it, this was a positive response to Saturday’s defeat to Leeds. It brought the return of a more compact-looking 4-3-3. Across the pitch, players were able to back each other up. Things, largely, felt more coherent.
Mohamed Salah and Darwin Núñez’s goals – which handed Napoli their first defeat of the season – almost encapsulated the team’s grit. With both teams already through, there was admittedly less jeopardy but it felt a productive evening. Sunday’s trip to Tottenham, who themselves reached the knockout stages dramatically, looks an intriguing one. A counter-attacking system could be the approach to take, so some of the patterns displayed on Tuesday could again prove helpful.
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