“Right now it looks like a mess”. Those were the words of Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, speaking after his former side slipped to a frustrating 1-0 defeat away to Galatasaray on Tuesday evening.
Victor Osimhen’s first-half penalty proved enough to clinch all three points for the Turkish giants in that Champions League tussle, with the trip to Istanbul a particularly damaging one amid notable injury blows for both Alisson and Hugo Ekitike.
While the reigning Premier League champions remain top of the pile domestically, this has been a challenging week for Arne Slot’s side, having been deservedly beaten by an in-form Crystal Palace at the weekend.
This is certainly no time to panic, amid a difficult seven days in what has largely been a flawless tenure for the Dutchman to date, although with the warning signs having already been there in recent weeks, something needs to change.
As Carragher alluded to on CBS, the Merseysiders “haven’t gained anything going forward, but they’ve lost a lot defensively” following the summer squad overhaul, with the backline looking all at sea thus far.
With just two clean sheets in ten games in all competitions in 2025/26 – the last of which came away at Burnley – the Reds need to find a way to plaster over the cracks that are emerging…
Konate & Frimpong's display vs Galatasaray
While there were few who could hold their heads high on Tuesday night, among those who particularly underwhelmed were Ibrahima Konate and Jeremie Frimpong, with the pair enduring another worrying display against the Super Lig side.
In the case of Frimpong, there may well be concerns brewing over his ability to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back for the long-term, with Slot even favouring him in a more advanced role, in order to afford Mohamed Salah a well-earned rest.
That switch certainly didn’t pay off, however, with the diminutive Dutchman hooked on the hour mark after a desperately disappointing showing, having lost the ball on 16 occasions from just 35 touches, as per Sofascore, while winning just two of his nine attempted duels.
Such lightweight quality hardly inspires any confidence that the ex-Bayer Leverkusen man can flourish when moved back into a full-back berth, with Slot perhaps wise to avoid pairing the summer signing with the hapless Konate in that right channel.
Indeed, the Frenchman endured another sorry outing up against the rampant Osimhen, having notably gifted possession to the Nigerian in the second half, after a slack pass back was intercepted by the ex-Napoli striker.
As noted by the Liverpool Echo’s Paul Gorst, the former RB Leipzig man ‘looks worryingly out of form of late’, with the failure to get the Marc Guehi deal over the line looking set to haunt Slot and co over the coming months.
Even despite the lack of alternatives, Slot needs to find a way to take Konate – and Frimpong too – out of the firing line, with the same perhaps true of this season’s Alexander-Arnold…
The new Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool
While ‘Trent’ may now be old news at Anfield, it is worth noting that the struggles of the injury-hit Real Madrid man last season now appear to be being repeated in this new-look Liverpool side.
There is a sense that the Reds romped to the title in 2024/25 in spite of the Englishman, not because of him, with the contract rebel never seemingly managing to win over Jurgen Klopp’s successor in the dugout.
Indeed, while the attacking quality remained – with his 14 goals and assists eclipsing his tally of 13 from the previous campaign – the 26-year-old’s defensive woes were plain to see.
Substituted off on 16 occasions in the top-flight, the academy graduate notably made four errors leading to a shot, while being dribbled past 1.7 times per game, as per Sofascore, with Slot certainly not wholly impressed by what he saw:
That scenario now looks to be repeating itself with the case of £40m man, Milos Kerkez, with the Hungarian youngster also emerging as something of a liability at full-back, following his summer switch from Bournemouth.
Much like Alexander-Arnold, the 21-year-old – who registered five Premier League assists last season – is a real asset in an attacking sense when at his best, with that form also seeing him create eight ‘big chances’ under Andoni Iraola’s watch.
Unfortunately, that quality is yet to be seen in a Liverpool shirt, with Kerkez still waiting to register his first goal involvement for his new side, after making ten appearances in all competitions.
Targeted on the opening weekend by former teammate Antoine Semenyo, the rampaging left-back has regularly come under the microscope since then, not least following his early withdrawal amid the threat of a red card at Turf Moor.
It was also his errant clearance which led to the throw-in that saw Palace clinch victory at the weekend, while in midweek, the £75k-per-week menace won just three of his seven attempted duels, while failing to provide a single successful cross or long ball.
Games
38
6
Goals
2
0
Assists
5
0
Big chances created
8
0
Key passes*
1.0
0.5
Pass accuracy*
80%
87%
Possession lost*
13.9
9.3
Total duels won*
54%
61%
Errors leading to goal
1
1
It is, of course, still early days, with the at-times hot-headed defender also perhaps not aided by the woes of those ahead of him, having yet to strike up a fruitful partnership with Cody Gakpo down that left flank.
That being said, as was the case with Alexander-Arnold’s demotion behind young Conor Bradley on occasion last term, Kerkez may find himself ousted for a more steady presence in the form of the long-serving Andy Robertson.
Like Trent, at his best, the former Cherries starlet can be such a weapon from the flanks with his wicked delivery and attacking instincts. Like Trent, too, however, at his worst, he can be a costly figure in a defensive sense for Slot’s side.
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