Liverpool lost against Galatasaray after losing against Crystal Palace over the weekend, and the result hasn’t surprised many.
Victor Osimhen’s penalty and immense hard work gave Galatasaray their first UEFA Champions League win of the season, unexpectedly against one of the UCL favourites this season in Liverpool. The Reds had gone on a winning run before their back-to-back losses.
Despite not playing well, Liverpool managed to get victories against Bournemouth, Newcastle, Arsenal, Burnley, and Everton in the League. They defeated Atlético Madrid in the Champions League and also Southampton in the Carabao Cup.
Almost every single one of their victories saw them lose important leads or score a late winner. They’ve claimed 7 wins, but in all of those wins, they have rarely performed to the standards of last season, and their latest encounters have exposed that.
£450 million To Lose Balance?
Despite spending over £400 million to bolster their attack and also replace Trent Alexander-Arnold, the Reds have struggled to find balance. 100 million attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz has had a difficult time adjusting to the pace and demands of the Premier League.
Alexander Isak still looks a little off the level he has shown over the past 3 seasons, and Jeremie Frimpong does not provide the same type of creativity Alexander Arnold gave the club.
The reasons above have led to difficulty in finding the right attacking balance and also in defence. Crystal Palace created 7 big chances against Liverpool on Saturday, and although they won the game, the South London side should have made the scoreline more comfortable.
Frankfurt pummelled Galatasaray last week, but the Turkish Champions also created lots of chances against Liverpool. They could have also scored more, and that is not quite how the Liverpool of last year played.
Arne Slot and his side will travel to Stamford Bridge on Saturday to take on Chelsea in a bid to get back to winning ways and find a working balance. A win before the October international break gives Liverpool a platform to take back control of their season, before they lose their lead atop the Premier League table.
