4/10 Liverpool flop had no business starting in Istanbul

Liverpool suffered their second defeat in Istanbul this season, with Galatasái suffering another 1-0 defeat to Arne Slott’s side, with their hopes of progressing into the Champions League now resting on a special European night at Anfield.

Prodigal, passive, porous. You can choose your poison, but the truth is that Liverpool have manufactured a number of self-inflicted problems, and unless something changes, this team will not win silver next season or actually compete at the front lines of Europe.

Liverpool aren’t doing any work or pressing enough. For manager Jurgen Klopp, the Reds outplayed their opponents, but they also outplayed them.

Even under Slott last season, Liverpool were ravenous without the ball, desperate to win it back and settle into the controlled and calculated pattern that led them to the Premier League title.

This is simply not enough. You can pick a few bad performances, but this was a disappointing setback for Ibrahima Konate.

Konate’s performance in Istanbul

Although Konate has improved this season, mistakes and attacking sluggishness were rife against Galatasaray, and Liverpool’s woeful ways seem to have been clinging to the shirts of their players throughout their recent upswing.

The French centre-back was adjudged to have handled himself inside the box in the second half and Liverpool’s equalizing goal was ruled out for chalk. He was unlucky in that respect. However, Konate continued to make mistakes and lacked fluency alongside Virgil van Dijk, who himself was having trouble with his pace.

Jeremy Jacquet agreed a £50m-plus deal with Rennes in January and is set to join in the summer, but that will do little to allay fears in the slot that he is gripping a far from secure position at Anfield.

Of course, Konate’s contract expires in June, but there has been no breakthrough in negotiations. So it’s frustrating that he’s carrying such a heavy burden over several months into the campaign, as there’s a lot at stake and defense is key to achieving that goal.

Konate has improved in recent months, but old habits die hard and he has reverted to error-filled ways on the big stage. Liverpool don’t have a surplus of players in their backline, so Konate will just need to get back into form – and quickly.

But Slot has room to tinker with other things, and the club’s other superstar should probably be taken out for the weekend.

Slot must drop Liverpool superstar

Liverpool will take solace in the fact that they are hosting Galatasaray at Anfield, where they can come from behind by just one goal. But their form on Merseyside under Slott this season has been little to write home about.

In Istanbul, Florian Wirths flattered and deceived, and while his tricks and inventions with the ball may be needed in his return, he clearly lacked the fluency to return to the starting lineup after injury, missing two big chances early on and on the periphery. The proof is that the director made a mistake in choosing him in the first place.

Kodi Gakpo himself has been largely out of form this season, but it was clear that Liverpool needed more direct play in the final third, and there are always players to consider such as 17-year-old Rio Ngmoha. This teenage sensation has been making headlines for her recent series of performances.

However, Wirtz has found himself in a difficult situation this term, and although he has improved, there are still many areas for improvement.

Galatasaray lacked their own sharpness, especially in the early swings. Liverpool had their opponents there, and in yet another boring theme, the team in the slot couldn’t find the barn door, let alone open it.

German playmakers like Konate were at the center of their predicament, unable to produce any significant passes or crosses. He completed just 78% of his passes, lost the ball 14 times (once every five minutes he was on the field), and lost six of his 12 duels. This is one of his most anonymous displays ever at the club, and that’s saying something.

If Wirtz makes significant progress in training over the next few days, he will likely start against an out-of-form Tottenham Hotspur side. But there has been a night and day difference between his performance and Ngmoha’s in recent weeks, and Slott may want to make a drastic change.

Wirtz is a superstar. He joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen last year for a fee of £116 million. But he was powerless against the Turkish giants, and although he defended tenaciously, winning all four of his attempted tackles and coming out on top in six other duels, Liverpool needed more sharpness and physicality to weather Gala’s storm.