Champions League

Three things learned about Liverpool v Napoli

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Liverpool slumped to their second consecutive midweek defeat after a late winner from Lorenzo Insigne gave Napoli a 1-0 victory in their Champions League group game in Italy.

The Merseysiders have now been knocked out of the League Cup and defeated in Europe’s premier competition ahead of Sunday’s showdown against Manchester City.

Here’s three things we learned from Liverpool’s defeat to Napoli:

NOT JUST SALAH WHO’S MISFIRING

Questions have been asked of Mohamed Salah after a slow start to the season and some mixed performances. Those won’t go away after he drew another blank in Naples and still looked some way short of the player who tore up the Premier League and Europe in a sensational debut campaign. But it’s not just Salah who’s misfiring. Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino are also well away from their best, and both delivered mediocre performances in a match in which Liverpool did not have a single shot on goal. The poor supply from behind them did not matter, but the forwards must improve. And quick.

KEITA FACING EXTENDED ABSENCE

Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita was taken to hospital after being carried off on a stretcher with a back injury after just 19 minutes. He received treatment on the pitch in Italy before being substituted and the club subsequently released a statement to explain he “underwent a number of precautionary health checks” to assess his condition. No decision has yet been taken on when the 23-year-old will be discharged, but he is facing an extended absence and will almost certainly miss the City clash.

SHAQIRI MUST START V CITY

Liverpool have scored just two goals in their last three matches, and are looking less threatening in front of goal than they did last season. Two of those games were against a hugely impressive Chelsea side, and the other against one of Italy’s finest, but it’s clear Jurgen Klopp must tweak his line-up against City. With Keita sidelined, the manager must re-jig the midfield and avoid the temptation to go with the central midfield axis of Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Georginio Wijnaldum. It does not offer enough goal potential in home matches, and a more progressive move would be to re-jig the midfield and start Xherdan Shaqiri in the central attacking midfield role, with Wijnaldum and Milner behind him. The Swiss, 26, would bring some creativity and cutting edge to the starting XI, and take some off the pressure off the front three, who just about deserve to keep their places.

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