Napoli 1-0 Liverpool: 3 thing we learned

Napoli beat Liverpool 1-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday. Here are three thing we learned from the match.

When the draw was made, Group C was the one that caught the eye immediately. Against Liverpool on Wednesday, Napoli showed why they can’t be written off just yet, taking all three points thanks to Lorenzo Insigne’s late winner. Here’s what we learned from the match.

Napoli will only get better as the season progresses

Napoli have had a stop-start season under new manager Carlo Ancelotti. After two comeback victories in their opening games against Champions League rivals Lazio and AC Milan, they suffered two defeats, which led to Ancelotti questioning his side’s motivation.

Doubting their motivation tonight will be out of the question. With the Stadio San Paolo at its electric best, Napoli’s players were up for it from the get go and tested Liverpool until they finally broke.

Despite a fairly timid first half, Napoli never allowed Liverpool to settle. Ancelotti set his team up to prod and poke at a Liverpool side that are ruthless on the counter-attack. Napoli never really tested Alisson in the first half, but they did keep him alert with a few decent efforts. Ancelotti was cautious, but set his side up to be aggressive.

In the second half, Ancelotti loosened the shackles on his players a little bit, allowing them to express themselves. Arkadiusz Milik stung Alisson’s palms a couple of times, Insigne buzzed around menacingly and Dries Mertens almost shattered the crossbar.

Mario Rui (one of Napoli’s best players on the night) kept Mohamed Salah in his back pocket all night and constantly harried Trent Alexander-Arnold. Everything threatening came from the wings, and it made sense that the winner was supplied from the flank.

This was a side that showed they understood what the manager wanted out of them tonight, and delivered when it mattered the most. As the team and manager begin to understand and trust each other as the season progresses, there will be plenty more of this to come.

Liverpool need to dig in for a long season

Liverpool’s players needed a superhuman effort if they wanted anything out of this game. While Jurgen Klopp has rotated his side well, particularly his midfield, Liverpool’s front three have featured in almost every game so far.

And yes, while results have gone in their favor this season and it’s unlikely that this last minute defeat will derail their campaign, Liverpool still have a very long season ahead of them.

Liverpool made a real statement of intent with their summer recruitment. They’re looking to compete on multiple fronts this year. They now have to suit up for the long haul and dig in.

Klopp will know this, and will be reciting this very fact to his players. A defeat right at the death can be very demoralizing for players, and Klopp will be the first to tell them to let this one go. They have another brutally important game on the weekend, and that’s what their focus will be one now.

It’s lucky Liverpool have had to face such tough, consecutive tests so early in the season. They’ll take heart from their performances as well as results, which probably wouldn’t have gone in their favor last year.

They face title rivals Manchester City, also coming off a tough away trip in Europe, on Sunday, and will have to recover quickly. Liverpool were well below par tonight, but they should and will brush themselves off and get back up to fight again.

The San Paolo is a frightening place to visit

For a stadium that rarely fills up to its 60,000 capacity, the San Paolo has built up a reputation as being one of the fiercest stadiums in all of Europe. The people of Naples live and breathe their soccer, and their passion for the club is almost unrivaled.

Needless to say, it would have taken a monumental effort for Liverpool to come away with anything.

After a very taxing week and a half, fun in the sun in the stunning city of Naples would have been recharging for this Liverpool team. Unfortunately for them, they only got to see the tough-as-nails, brutally intimidating side to the city. And it showed.

In the second half, Liverpool looked on the verge of being knocked out constantly. They seemed a step behind Napoli — bar a spell in the middle when they controlled a bit of the ball — and as the Napoli players built up momentum, so did their fans.

The atmosphere inside the San Paolo could have triggered a thunderstorm, and you could see the Napoli players feed off the energy. As Liverpool began to tire, Napoli got stronger, and the goal showed a stark contrast in the sharpness of both sides.

Mertens, who came off the bench (and was exceptional when brought on), reversed the ball to Jose Callejon who charged up the flank and laid it on a platter in the box. It was fitting that it was Napoli’s own Insigne who finished it home. It was all a bit too fast for Liverpool’s tiring defenders.

The stadium exploded, and the players rejoiced. Napoli did indeed deserve it. If this is what’s in store, any team coming here will be wary.