Jurgen Klopp is facing his toughest spell in the Liverpool dugout as he searches for answers.
The German coach labelled his side’s 4-1 loss against Napoli as the worst of his nearly 10-year stint in charge at Anfield.
Following the weekend’s cancelled matches, he now braces for the arrival of Ajax on Tuesday.
Speaking ahead of the game with Ajax on Tuesday, Klopp told reporters: “We had a meeting with the players. I watched the game back plenty of times and it was a real horror show, to be honest.
“The boys knew, but then seeing it again made it really obvious; it was the worst game we played since I am here, and we played a few bad games.
“Everybody remembers Aston Villa [when Liverpool lost 7-2 in 2020] and some others where we were just not up to speed, but there were at least glimpses. In this [Napoli] game, nothing. We have to understand why that happened. I think eight out of the [starting] XI were absolutely below their level, and the three others were not at their top level, just normal.”
Liverpool were stunned by Napoli and trailled 3-0 at half time. And that’s with Victor Osimhen missing a penalty.
The 4-1 loss was their heaviest in continental competition since a 5-1 defeat to Ajax, 56 years ago.
Liverpool’s Luis Díaz will be looking to inspire his teammates after scoring five of his last seven club goals at home.
Ajax have only lost one of their last 16 away UCL matches, although that was a 1-0 defeat at Anfield in December 2020.
They tend to struggle against the English sides; they’ve lost four of their last five Champions League matches against Premier League opposition (D1).
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