Jamie Carragher sumps up Liverpool FC first half performance against Napoli in one word
The walk back into the tunnel at halftime would have been a long one for Liverpool. Losing 3-0 at the stroke of 45 minutes is not an ideal situation for any club, especially for the Reds who came into the fixture as favourites.
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher took to Twitter to have a say on the Reds’ abysmal performance. It was a shocking game for Joe Gomez, who was subbed off for Joel Matip at half-time. Carra tweeted this just before the restart of the game.
The opening 45 was one of the worst halves of football from Liverpool in recent years. Two penalties conceded. Two Yellow Cards. Right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold was tormented by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Joe Gomez was bullied by Victor Osimhen before the Nigerian was injured around the 40th minute. His replacement, Giovanni Simeone, found the back of the net within minutes of coming on.
Carra called the performance “shambles”. And rightly so. Gomez was struggling to keep up with the pace of Osimhen, who was toying with the entire backline. Joel Matip’s substitution saw a change in the proceedings, with the Cameroonian’s experience showing.
However, Liverpool conceded early in the second half as well, putting to bed any chances of at least a draw. Luis Diaz was brilliant to find the back of the net from just outside the box. A wonderful finesse shot, which went past Alex Meret, who didn’t have much to do otherwise.
Carragher then added after full time that Liverpool’s approach to games is unsustainable when their midfield isn’t coming up with the required intensity. The Reds legend criticised Klopp’s team for playing with an offside line where the midfielders aren’t doing their bit to protect the backline.
The rest of the game was just Liverpool trying to sneak in a goal somehow with a few passes here and there, but Napoli did a wonderful job keeping Liverpool out of the game. A goal from Luis Diaz came only after Napoli scored their fourth of their game shortly after the start of the second half.
Liverpool saw Thiago Alcantara play in midfield after a prolonged period on the sidelines. His composure on the ball and control bought a sense of custody of the game, and fans would hope to see him start instead of James Milner in the Reds’ next fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
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The Englishman was one of the sad parts of the night for the Reds, giving away a penalty early on and committing a few rush fouls here and there.
