Kalidou Koulibaly: Senegal centre-back wants to take Napoli to the top

Kalidou Koulibaly has implored Napoli to ‘keep improving’ in a bid to get to the top.

The 28-year old Senegalese defender was one of the standout players in Napoli’s 2-0 Champions League Group E win over Liverpool on Tuesday. Dries Mertens (penalty) and Fernando Llorente scored late goals against the English club.

"We gave 200% throughout,” Koulibaly told the club website.

"Personally, I wanted to produce a top performance and it's the sort of game in which I really give my absolute all out on the pitch.

"We have to keep improving. Wins like this one give us a big boost, but we must be sure to stay focused in every game. We want to take Napoli to the top."

Koulibaly is widely considered as one of the best defenders in the world, thanks to his consistent performances since joining Napoli from Genk in 2014.

He has been the subject of heavy transfer speculation in every window, but Partenopei have succeeded in keeping their prized asset.

The Senegal international has played every minute of Napoli’s games this term, averaging 3.8 clearances per game, also an average of three tackles per game, likewise two interceptions. He equally has an impressive passing accuracy of 87.7%.

The only blemish in Carlo Ancelotti’s team this season was a 4-3 loss to Juventus on matchday two of the Serie A. Having finished runners-up to the Bianconeri last term, Napoli will continue making inroads towards having a genuine shot at the title when they travel to newly-promoted Lecce on Sunday.