When Jurgen Klopp crossed the field to thank his team's traveling supporters, the final whistle had just sounded on Liverpool's greatest away defeat in Europe in more than 50 years.
In front of Liverpool's fans, Klopp frequently punches the air after games, to which the crowd responds with a guttural yell of approval.
He was extending his hands this time to express regret.
For a team that was in the final of Europe's premier competition just 312 months ago, Liverpool's performance in its 4-1 loss to Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday was so dreadful — so unlike Liverpool — that Klopp was left perplexed and wondering how things had gotten this bad, so quickly.
At the moment, it's not entirely obvious, according to Klopp. We must essentially remake ourselves.
However, a midseason makeover is not simple. The time for transfers has just shut down. Klopp claims he hasn't intentionally changed his team's composition or strategy. And there are still a number of players who are either out due to injury, particularly in the center midfield where Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita, Curtis Jones, and others are out, or who are not match-ready after missing time with the club due to ailments.
It appears that the most important thing for Klopp going into what is going to be a crucial Premier League encounter at home against Wolverhampton on Saturday is for his players to resume playing as a team and stop being so passive.
In regards to the Napoli match, Klopp commented, "It was the least compact performance I witnessed in a long, long time." "We don't need to design a brand-new type of football. You should always strive to get better, but right now, it would make everyone happy if we could stick to playing the same things.
As a result, Mohamed Salah, who has been the most dangerous attacker in the Premier League for the previous five seasons, may play a more central role this season as opposed to occasionally being left alone on the right side and going unnoticed. Even though Liverpool was trying to win the game against Napoli, he was replaced in the 62nd minute.
It entails Fabinho, who has recently mastered the role of midfield anchorman alongside Rodri of Manchester City, protecting the defense more effectively. Every game has featured a different central midfielder for the Brazil international, and against Napoli, James Milner, 36, was just not up to the task. One of Liverpool's signature strengths, counter-pressing, was nonexistent.
The right back position, where Trent Alexander-Arnold has occasionally been a liability this season, at least defensively, requires him to rediscover his intensity and work ethic. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, a rising Georgian star for Napoli, exhausted him.
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