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Alan Shearer pulled no punches as he accused Liverpool of “schoolboy” errors against Galatasaray - with Ibrahima Konate in particular in the firing line.
It was another frustrating night for the Reds as they fell to back-to-back defeats in Istanbul, having suffered just their first loss of the season on Saturday at Crystal Palace. Victor Osimhen’s penalty was enough to earn the Turkish champions a 1-0 win and hand the visitors a setback in their hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Much like the weekend defeat at Selhurst Park, the game was littered with mistakes from Liverpool’s players, with a number of Arne Slot’s stars not covering themselves in glory.
Konate, not for the first time this season, was guilty of a number of sloppy moments, with one in particular leading to an even bigger headache for his team.
The defender sold Ryan Gravenberch short with a pass in the second half that enabled Osimhen to steal the ball away, although Alisson Becker was on hand to save the resultant shot. In doing so, though, the Brazilian picked up an injury that forced him off the field.
That moment led to Shearer, who was commentating on the game for Amazon Prime Video, to vent his frustrations at what the Reds were producing.
“It is incredible what I am seeing,” Shearer said. “I cannot believe the basic errors Liverpool is giving away. That is schoolboy stuff from Konate.
“It is a really good save and Osimhen will be disappointed he hasn't scored. But how many times is Liverpool going to get caught on the ball, giving silly, sloppy passes away to the opposition.
“After Saturday, and the chances given up, I was expecting to see an improvement tonight. It has been worse.”
The defeat and the manner in which his side performed will raise more questions for Slot, who was handed yet more problems in Istanbul.
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As well as Alisson’s injury, there were concerns after Hugo Ekitike was forced off during the second half, having received treatment on the pitch after picking up a knock.
Liverpool has already lost young defender Giovanni Leoni, who looks likely to miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL against Southampton last week.
And just before heading to Turkey, Federico Chiesa was left out of the traveling squad, with Slot revealing the winger had picked up a knock during training.
Next up for Liverpool is a trip to Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday, when the Reds will hope to return to winning ways and answer some of the questions currently hanging over them.
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