Lewis Steele: Liverpool woeful at the back and toothless in attack – Slot has problems to fix fast | OneFootball

Liverpool Concerns Grow After Istanbul Defeat

Liverpool fell to a second defeat in four days, and as Lewis Steele observed on his YouTube channel, “they probably deserved it.” Arne Slot’s side were undone in Istanbul against Galatasaray, a result that has left questions about their defensive stability, attacking sharpness, and how the manager will respond to setbacks.

Steele described the performance in blunt terms, saying, “Liverpool didn’t deserve anything from this game. They were so bad defensively.” He highlighted Ibrahima Konaté in particular, noting, “ever since he’s put them tweets out criticising fans for criticising him, [he] has not been good enough.”

Problems at both ends

The analysis pointed to a Liverpool side short of confidence and cohesion. “Liverpool have been vulnerable at the back, their weaknesses have been exposed and they’ve looked toothless at the other end,” Steele said. Galatasaray’s winning moment came from a penalty Steele called “a soft decision, but again it was preventable. Liverpool were too open.”

The goalkeeper, Alisson, was again left carrying the burden. “Alisson was needed to bail out the defence who were sleeping… how many times have we said that on Saturday? Liverpool poor defensively, Alisson bailed them out again.” His contribution, however, was overshadowed by injury concerns. As Steele revealed, “the biggest headline of tonight is that injury to Alisson… scans are needed tomorrow.”

There was further concern with Hugo Ekitiké limping off. “He seemed to be stretching for a ball which is never never nice to see,” Steele added.

Slot faces uncharted territory

This is not a situation Arne Slot has faced often since arriving at Liverpool. “It is only the second time that Arne has lost two in a row,” Steele reminded viewers, recalling earlier defeats in cup competitions. “Slot hasn’t really lost a meaningful game for a long long time before this week.”

The manager must now show his response in adversity. “Slot will be hurting on that plane back to Liverpool in the morning,” Steele said, adding that “a lot of the Liverpool players will be hurting too. And that’s a good thing… they should be hurting because they’ve not been good enough tonight.”

Missed opportunities and selection questions

Beyond defensive frailties, the front line lacked threat. “How many saves did [the Galatasaray goalkeeper] really have to make that you wouldn’t have expected him to make? I can’t think of too many at all,” Steele reflected. Cody Gakpo’s chance before the penalty was the only real highlight.

Mo Salah’s role also came under scrutiny. “Did they miss Mo Salah? Well, I think it’s fair to say Salah didn’t do enough when he came off the bench,” Steele said, questioning the decision to leave him out from the start. “Do you drop your best player for a game like this? Yes, Solo… Salah, yeah, he was missed tonight, but he’s not been good enough all season.”

Tough test at Stamford Bridge

Looking ahead, Liverpool face Chelsea at the weekend, a match Steele called “not the sort of fixture you want to see on the back of two defeats.” He underlined the importance of the moment, warning, “it’s a big week for Slot. How does he fix it? Chelsea away on Saturday, tough game, and then the international break. He won’t want to go into that with three defeats in a row.”

As Liverpool regroup, the injuries to key players and the defensive lapses create a critical challenge for Slot. The sense from Steele’s analysis is clear: while it may not be time for mass panic, “there are several worries that Slot must sort out.”