There is no doubt that this has been a tough run of fixtures for Liverpool and head coach Arne Slot. The Premier League champions have encountered stiff resistance in each of their last two matches. A...
There is no doubt that this has been a tough run of fixtures for Liverpool and head coach Arne Slot.
The Premier League champions have encountered stiff resistance in each of their last two matches. At the weekend, the Reds were handed their first top-flight defeat of the season when Crystal Palace beat them at Selhurst Park.
Any hope of a quick recovery was dashed when Galatasaray overcame the challenge of Liverpool at RAMS Park on Tuesday night.
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Victor Osimhen netted the only goal - with Liverpool coughing up basic errors in possession and lacking a clinical edge in front of goal.
Despite Richard Hughes adding £450m worth of talent to the squad over the summer, this remains a work in progress.
Steve Nicol slams Liverpool players
No doubt the likes of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez will settle in time - but right now Liverpool look like a side lacking cohesion.
The defeat in Istanbul was dissected by Liverpool legend Steve Nicol on Tuesday night for ESPN FC. Nicol, a four-time league title winner with the Reds and also a champion in the European Cup, hit out at Arne Slot’s current crop of players.
In his analysis, Nicol named only THREE players who are currently hitting their levels - Alisson Becker, Dominik Szoboszlai and new signing Hugo Ekitike.
Unfortunately for the Reds, it looks like Alisson and Ekitike are set for a spell on the sidelines following their injuries in the Turkish capital.
Only Alisson, Szoboszlai and Ekitike are performing claims Nicol
“The players are not actually helping the manager, because there is nobody on that team who’s actually producing what they’re capable of,” Nicol told ESPN FC.
“Maybe the closest one is Szoboszlai and it’s making it difficult for Slot. Bradley’s not done well when he’s played at right-back. Frimpong’s struggled at right-back. You’ve ended up with Szoboszlai at right-back.
“Kerkez has had a shocker since he’s come in — quite honestly, he’s been bang average.
“Konaté just looks devoid of any confidence.
“I can go through the whole team and talk about how they are not at their best.
“So not only does Arne Slot have to figure out the best eleven that plays the best together, but he’s got to figure out who he can rely on, because right now he can’t — other than Alisson, who got injured tonight.
“It’s probably him and Szoboszlai, and maybe you throw Ekitike in. So that’s three out of eleven that you can rely on.”
Liverpool "won't win anything" like this warns Nicol
Liverpool have got a job on their hands right now - with genuine ambitions to go far in the Champions League and retain their Premier League crown.
But Nicol warned that unless the whole team gets their act together collectively - there is little hope of that happening.
“You don’t win anything — certainly you don’t win the Champions League or the Premier League — when you’ve got three producing and eight you’re not sure what you’re getting,” he said.
It’s up to the players - new signings and players already on the books - to prove him wrong.
Category: General Sports
