There is a theme of Jurgen Klopp’s footballing philosophy. He doesn’t want his side to be the best team in the world, he will say, but he wants them to beat the best. Go back a few months and there was a case for anointing Liverpool the planet’s finest. Not now, when they have lost to Nottingham Forest and Leeds, when they are below Fulham and Brighton in the table.
But twice in an otherwise troubled campaign, Liverpool have defeated possibly the outstanding side in the global game. Like Manchester City, Napoli came to Anfield unbeaten: in their case, with 13 straight victories, including away wins at Lazio, AC Milan, Ajax and Roma, with a historic demolition of Liverpool in Italy, with 50 goals already this season. They departed with their now familiar loss: much as it does for City, Anfield feels the final frontier for the Neapolitans.
