Liverpool Humbled By A Ruthless Napoli In Champions League Opener.

 Liverpool's season got off to a rough start before losing completely at Napoli in the opening game of Champions League Group A on Wednesday night.

All of Jurgen Klopp's team's defensive flaws from this season were highlighted on a depressing night in Naples as they fell 4-1 at the Diego Maradona Stadium.

European football seemed to be the greatest activity for Klopp, who was seeking a nice diversion from his inconsistent Premier League performance so far this new season.

Still, a fragile Liverpool team was utterly destroyed in the group's opening Champions League match.

James Milner, who appears to be unable to compete at the highest level any longer, gave up a penalty after only five minutes due to a handball.

The performance by Piotr Zielinski, who is rumored to have rejected a move to Anfield in 2015, reminded Liverpool of what they were lacking.

The Polish international danced through the middle of the field repeatedly amid numerous midfield issues, flanked by the equally excellent Frank-Andre Zambo Anguissa, who powered in a second after intimidating and then embarrassing Joe Gomez with some deft passing.

Victor Osimhen secured a second penalty kick before the game had even reached the 20-minute mark by putting Virgil van Dijk in danger and forcing a foul from a defender who recently seemed to have lost some of his tremendous aura. But the Nigerian attacker missed from 12 yards out, as it was saved by Alisson Becker.

Whereas that might have served as the impetus for Liverpool to alter, a strong home team just kept piercing them. Osimhen was substituted by Giovanni Simeone just before halftime, and he immediately scored.

After the break, Zielinksi scored his brace, but only minutes later, one of Liverpool's few bright spots, Luiz Diaz, curled in what turned out to be a consolation goal. Despite the Colombian's huffing and puffing after that, a team with an offensive line that used to completely destroy opponents appeared to be severely lacking in inspiration.

In the end, Napoli had an easy nigh against last season's finalist which is probably the biggest slight against Klopp's Liverpool.

The Reds boss Jürgen Klopp furthered offered a frank assessment of his team’s performance, having now only won two out of their seven matches in all competitions this season and the German believes his team needs to be better in "pretty much everything".

"It was really tough to take but I would say not that difficult to explain," Klopp told BT Sport. "Firstly, Napoli played really well and we didn't. That is the first explanation for the defeat. The two penalties we concede, they were both a little unlucky.

"The next two goals we concede are handed to them on a plate. That is not cool and we should have defended better in the first place and, of course, in the last moment as well.

"We were not compact defensively or offensively. With Alisson in goal you have to be really bad to concede three goals [in the first half]. You could see it on the pitch. We were not working as a team. That is why we lose games."

Liverpool's next match sees them take on Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday and Klopp believes that Bruno Lage's side should be "laughing" at the prospect of playing his side.

"We have to play in three days against Wolves. If Wolves saw that game tonight they would not stop laughing and would say it is the perfect moment."

Klopp also reacted to Thomas Tuchel's sacking by Chelsea on Wednesday night, with the Blues one point ahead Liverpool in the Premier League table.

"The difference is they Chelsea's owners are different kind of owners. Our owners are rather calm and expect me to sort the situation and are not thinking that someone else should sort it."