Disjointed, naive, lethargic. Liverpool were all three in a debilitating defeat in Turkey. Galatasaray, though the better team, were winners courtesy of a soft penalty They probably couldn’t quite believe just how poor Liverpool were, as Arne Slot’s men suffered a second consecutive defeat.
Following the loss to Crystal Palace last Saturday, Slot and the travelling Kop would have expected to see an improvement. If anything, for large parts of an error-strewn performance, Liverpool were actually worse. No cohesion, no energy, no guile and, as a result, no chance. Perhaps worse, Hugo Ekitike, just about the only Liverpool player who looked ‘at it’, left the pitch injured, as did Alisson. How is it possible for a goalkeeper to be injured quite so often?
It’s difficult to single out any one player for criticism as so many were so poor, but it would be remiss not to mention just how bad Ibou Konate and Curtis Jones were. Milos Kerkez was rash, whilst Jeremie Frimpong, who saw plenty of the ball, seems to lack much of an idea of what to do with it. Ekitike, who missed the chance to put his side ahead when one on one, just seconds before what was a very soft penalty awarded to the Turkish champions, was Liverpool’s only bright spot.
The early award of the penalty, soft though it was, was a demonstration of just how naive was the Liverpool display. Yes, it was soft, but just why Dominik Szoboszlai was throwing his arms around was baffling. Did he catch the player in the face? Barely, but why give the referee the chance to give the penalty? Likewise, experienced players giving away soft free-kicks and getting sucked into a game plan of Galatasaray which constantly disrupted the game.
So Liverpool head to Stamford Bridge, trying to avoid a hat-trick of defeats. To say they’ll have to improve is an understatement. To say that Liverpool need much much more from an array of ‘big’ players barely needs stating and, whilst it’s hardly a crisis, a positive result ahead of yet another international break is imperative.
