Arne Slot’s Liverpool look a pale shadow of their former imperious selves.
Where to begin? Liverpool are so tactically imbalanced, so open and unsure across each phase of play. The finely-wrought tactics of last season are nowhere to be seen; instead a hodgepodge of high-quality players without a recognisable identity.
Is that a bit harsh? Perhaps it is. But the Reds have got some issues, all right, and the impressive mentality displayed across the opening weeks of the season has perhaps papered over the lack of control and coherence on show so far this year.
Against Galatasaray, Liverpool huffed and puffed but were miles away from their best, and they were indeed defeated in the Champions League.
Liverpool's worst performers in Istanbul
Liverpool thought they had found a lifeline in the dying embers against Turkish giants Galatasaray in Istanbul, but their penalty was overturned by VAR.
And so Slot’s anguish deepened. But the plain truth of it is Liverpool deserved to lose and have much to sort out if they are to challenge for the biggest prizes on offer this year.
Florian Wirtz will be scapegoated by some, but he was a focal creative presence and is devoid of confidence.
However, positives stemming from Ibrahima Konate’s performance were few and far between. The French defender has been out of sorts since the summer, and his error-laden, unconvincing showing against Galatasaray will have done little to quell the noise as he approaches the end of his contract with Real Madrid lurking.
The 26-year-old needs to sort his form out quickly, especially after Giovanni Leoni ruptured his ACL against Southampton in the Carabao Cup last week. Liverpool were unable to wrap up a summer move for Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi, let’s not forget.
Liverpool’s flanks have been picked upon across a number of games this season, with right-back presenting Slot with something of a conundrum. On Tuesday evening, Dominik Szoboszlai failed in the role.
Dominik Szoboszlai must be dropped
Victor Osimhen had scored early on from the spot, and that goal proved definitive as Galatasaray kept Liverpool out. It was Szoboszlai’s trailing arm which prompted the referee to award that first-half penalty, but that was hardly the extent of the Hungarian’s troubles.
The Liverpool Echo acknowledged that the penalty conceded was soft, but this couldn’t detract from an overall performance that left plenty to be desired, with questions arising as to whether deploying the attacking midfielder at right-back is a viable long-term plan, especially with Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley both in the squad.
Baris Alper Yilmiz was an absolute livewire for the hosts, and Szoboszlai struggled to contain him. The Turkish international won all seven of his duels, as per Sofascore, and indeed won the penalty.
Match Stats
#
Minutes played
90′
Goals
0
Assists
0
Touches
80
Accurate passes
50/56 (89%)
Key passes
1
Crosses
2/8
Possession lost
15x
Dribbles
0/1
Tackles
2
Dribbled past
1x
Duels won
2/8
With Liverpool’s versatile 24-year-old beaten routinely, there’s much for Slot to work on going forward. Szoboszlai shifted into a more advanced midfield role in the second half, but he was unable to influence as he might have hoped.
While Slot continues to puzzle over the solution at right-back following Trent Alexander-Arnold’s summer departure, it looks like the Hungarian won’t always be the solution, which is understandable, and so should perhaps be axed ahead of the weekend trip to Sunday, who boast a ferocious frontline indeed.
Liverpool have faced some concerning problems across the opening weeks of the season, but this is not a disaster, this is not a catastrophe.
There is plenty of time for Slot to fix things, but he does need to fix them quickly, and leading stars like Konate and Szoboszlai need to snap themselves back into form.