Galatasaray 1 Liverpool 0 – Slot’s century marred by defensive mistakes and attacking profligacy

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Galatasaray 1 Liverpool 0 – Slot’s century marred by defensive mistakes and attacking profligacy

In so many ways, this was a microcosm of Liverpool’s season.

There was defensive frailty and profligacy undermining their own attacking efforts. Arne Slot saw his team concede from a set piece — Galatasaray’s first effort of the evening. All of it felt uncomfortably familiar as the Turkish side, who pride themselves on making the Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi a fortress, claimed a narrow lead from the first leg of the last-16 Champions League tie.

This was a wonderfully frenetic contest from the opening exchanges. Liverpool had actually threatened to open up their hosts early on but having failed to take their chances, were exposed defending Galatasaray’s first corner. Slot, who was overseeing his 100th game in charge, saw his team’s marking system evaporate. Victor Osimhen leapt to head back across goal and Mario Lemina dived in to nod home from close range.

Quite how that ended up as the only goal of a breathless occasion is a mystery. Noa Lang, Osimhen and Davinson Sanchez could have extended the home side’s lead in the first half alone, with Liverpool — so vulnerable in the air as gaps opened up between their defenders — grateful for Giorgi Mamardashvili’s sharp reactions in the din.

Florian Wirtz was wasteful, most notably when guiding a first-time shot wide of a gaping net, but this was all too helter-skelter for comfort. At one end, Hugo Ekitike, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai were thwarted by Ugurcan Cakir; at the other, Osimhen was denied his eighth Champions League goal of the campaign after Baris Alper Yilmaz was adjudged to be influencing play from an offside position, despite not touching the ball.

Liverpool had their own reasons to feel aggrieved when Ibrahima Konate had a goal denied after the ball was deemed to have dribbled in. Work needs to be done back at Anfield next week.

Here, Andy Jones and James Pearce dissect the key talking points in Istanbul.

Can a team this open hope to win the Champions League?

The nadir of Liverpool’s season to date had come when, in this competition, they lost 4-1 to a PSV side that played them off the park at Anfield. The defeat exposed just how open Slot’s side had become defensively and it has become an area of focus for the coach and his staff.

But there are still issues — worrying fragilities — and Galatasaray exposed them in Istanbul.

Virgil van Dijk struggles to hold off the challenge of Victor Osimhen (Ahmad Mora/Getty Images)

Liverpool looked vulnerable throughout. One of their biggest problems came from opponents’ crosses, which were flung incessantly into the box from either flank. Too many times, Galatasaray, with players unmarked in the box, were able to make first contact and Liverpool were fortunate not to be punished. Osimhen headed wide when well placed. Giorgi Mamardashvili saved at full stretch from Sanchez.

Maybe communication was an issue in the din whipped up by the home support. In truth, that should not be an excuse.

There were issues in midfield, too. The initial success they had enjoyed in the press evaporated and too often, the home side were dominant in aerial duels and quicker to second balls in the middle third of the pitch.

Galatasaray’s goal summed it up. Despite their domestic set-piece problems, Liverpool had not conceded from one in Europe until Lemina dived to nod in from close range. Both Mac Alister and Joe Gomez will wonder how they granted Osimhen time and space to nod the ball back to his team-mate.

Mario Lemina and Victor Osimhen wheel away in celebration after Galatasaray open the scoring (Yasin Akgul/AFP via Getty Images)

At least the second half started better, but still came close to calamity on the hour mark when Konate’s mistake — far from his first on an error-strewn night — led to Osimhen doubling Galatasaray’s lead. They were fortunate that Baris Yilmaz, who was offside, was deemed to be active in the build-up, even though he did not touch the ball.

Liverpool had not learnt their lesson from the group game back in September, settled by an early Osimhen penalty, and too many of Slot’s players appeared to be struggling with scrambled minds.

If they prevail back at Anfield, where the Turkish side will be denied a travelling support, then Chelsea or the holders Paris Saint-Germain await in the quarter-finals. The fear is that better teams may punish them further.

Andy Jones

How did Mamardashvili fare?

The news that goalkeeper Alisson had picked up an injury before the game was a blow, but it also presented an opportunity for summer arrival Mamardashvili.

The 25-year-old had played just one game — the FA Cup third-round tie against Barnsley — since November, with first-choice Alisson preferred in the more recent rounds of the cup.

Coming in from the cold, this was always going to be a difficult game, and in typical Liverpool fashion this season, he was picking the opposition’s first shot out of the net when Lemina headed home from close range after Osimhen won an initial header from a corner.

There was little the Georgia international could have done, but with the defence struggling, they needed him at his best to keep Liverpool in the game.

Giorgi Mamardashvili made impressive saves on a rare outing (Ahmad Mora/Getty Images)

In the first half, he had to be alert to parry away a Lang cross that missed everybody but was sneaking into the far corner. Minutes later, he produced an excellent diving save to deny an unmarked Sanchez from doubling Galatasaray’s lead.

There was less for the goalkeeper to do in the second half, but he continued to command his area and deal with whatever Galatasaray threw at him (illustrated below).

The hope is that Alisson’s absence will be short-term and his omission precautionary, but Mamardashvili showed in this display that he can play an important role in the final months of the campaign — if he is needed.

Andy Jones

How does Slot’s century compare?

Slot will not look back fondly on the night when he brought up 100 matches in charge of Liverpool.

The Dutchman would have had the best win rate of any of his predecessors if his team had triumphed in Istanbul. Instead, he sits level with Sir Kenny Dalglish on 62 victories in 100 games.

Arne Slot took charge of his 100th Liverpool game (Ahmad Mora/Getty Images)

Slot wrote his name into Anfield folklore as he seamlessly replaced Jurgen Klopp and led Liverpool to Premier League title glory in his maiden campaign.

However, this time around, he has found life considerably tougher. With new signings needing time to settle, injuries cutting deep and key personnel struggling for form, their title defence quickly unravelled and Slot’s future suddenly looked less certain.

The former Feyenoord boss has two remaining shots at silverware this season. The Champions League provides him with the biggest opportunity to silence some of the criticism and scrutiny coming his way. If Liverpool lift the European Cup for the seventh time, all their domestic struggles will be forgotten.

Triumphing in Budapest on May 30 is only realistic if Slot can quickly find a cure for the familiar issues that reared their ugly heads in Istanbul. The lack of a ruthless streak cost them dear, with Wirtz and Ekitike particularly wasteful as they failed to capitalise on a string of promising attacks.

At the other end, there was the worrying sight of their defensive fragility returning. Konate regressed with an error-strewn performance and Osimhen was left unmarked when Lemina nodded in his header for the night’s only goal.

Liverpool should have too much for Galatasaray at Anfield next Wednesday. With home advantage for the second leg, this narrow deficit should be overturned. But they need to raise the bar considerably.

James Pearce

Those familiar attacking toils

It was another night when Liverpool failed to take the chances they created.

Some of those opportunities were clear, so it rather summed things up that the closest they came to scoring was from a scrap from a corner on the six-yard box that culminated in Konate being penalised after a VAR check for a handball. The ball dribbled in off his arm through a mess of bodies close to the goal line, with the officials determining that his — and not Virgil van Dijk’s heel — had been the final touch.

It was a contentious decision, but Liverpool only had themselves to blame for not getting on the scoresheet earlier — and then failing to create much of note following the incident.

Hugo Ekitike was one of the Liverpool forwards denied in Istanbul (Ahmad Mora/Getty Images)

They could have scored on multiple occasions in just the opening five minutes as they swarmed over Galatasaray and caused high turnovers. But their use of the ball when they won it back left plenty to be desired. Decision-making, passing and finishing were all poor.

Their attacking threat diminished as the first half went on and though posing more of a threat, they struggled to fashion quality chances in the second half. The best came when Ekitike nicked possession but could not beat Cakir when through on goal.

Mohamed Salah, making a club-record 81st Champions League appearance, was taken off on the hour mark after struggling to influence the game, but he was far from the only attacker who was below par, with Wirtz also notably toiling.

They will need to conjure some ruthlessness in the return leg, where they will at least be helped by Sanchez’s absence through suspension after the former Tottenham centre-half picked up a needless booking late on.

Andy Jones

What did Slot say?

On the lack of cutting edge: “I wouldn’t say it’s a frustration, but it’s a situation we are facing and I’m responsible for it, and we’ve been facing it for much of the season. We created enough to score a goal. We scored one and it was overturned by the VAR. I don’t think they had a lot of chances in the second half. They have good players and good teams will always create chances. They scored five goals against Juventus so that tells you what they are capable of.

“We have had very good chances, one-on-ones with the goalkeeper and unfortunately, we couldn’t score. I have to give credit to how they defended. They keep on fighting and put themselves in front of the ball.”

On Konate’s disallowed goal: “It’s always very difficult to talk to referees in a situation like that, as they’re in communication with VAR and have to listen to what is being said. If, if, if it’s correct that the goal was disallowed, which is difficult to judge as I’ve heard different opinions from people… it’s not completely obvious but let’s say that decision is right. I was even more frustrated that every free kick and corner kick we took, even if we just looked at a Galatasaray player, the referee already gave a free kick for Galatasaray.

“If you then look at how much they pulled Virgil’s shirt before the ball hit Ibou’s arm, then it’s safe to say we weren’t the only ones impressed by the atmosphere here today.”