Liverpool's priority made clear after Galatasaray horror show | OneFootball

Liverpool once again left a lot to be desired when they travelled to Istanbul to play Galatasaray on Tuesday evening.

Despite looking good and pressing well for the opening five minutes, the Reds found themselves 1-0 after only six minutes.

Arne Slot’s side struggled to control the match, looking defensively frail and rarely creating meaningful chances going forward.

The Reds were lucky to avoid going 2-0 after a pair of awful decisions from Ibrahima Konate just after the 60th minute, when Galatasaray’s second goal was ruled as offside.

Konate, who is into the final few months of his current deal, was the main talking point of the night. Liverpool’s need for defensive reinforcements is clear.

Liverpool must continue to rebuild defensively

Despite being the reigning Premier League champions, Slot’s side have faced issues all over the pitch this season.

Often the Reds look blunt going forwards, but their biggest issues this season have been defensively, with mistakes and late goals costing the team on several occasions.

Van Dijk was arguably at fault for Galatasaray’s opener on Tuesday, but almost every Liverpool defender was guilty of making a mistake at some point during the game.

Jeremy Jacquet is set to move to Anfield in the summer, although the Frenchman looks likely to miss the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury.

The addition of Jacquet and the long-awaited return of Giovanni Leoni, who has missed the majority of the season injured, will be a boost to the Reds’ defence, but there is a lot of work still to be done.

Andrew Robertson and Konate are both set to leave on free transfers and both Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong have been consistently injured this season.

Liverpool’s defence is going through a complete rebuild, and Tuesday night’s loss to Galatasaray showed exactly why.

Several top defenders have been linked with Merseyside moves this summer and, after the Reds’ recent defensive horror shows, supporters will be desperate to see one come through the door.