Reds turned to green, but defeats keep going - Slot "disappointed again"

A quick quiz at the beginning - what was the last time Liverpool failed to score in a Champions League game before last night's loss to Galatasaray in Istanbul?

The answer is - in November 2020 at Atalanta, when they lost 2-0.

Almost five long years have passed since that moment, and the defeat on Tuesday ended a run of 23 consecutive matches with at least one goal scored for the Reds!

The issue with this latest flop is that it is Arne Slot's team's second loss in a row after Crystal Palace defeated them in the Premier League. Something has definitely gone wrong with Slot's - until recently - mighty machine.

Major upset! Osimhen brings Liverpool to their knees!

Sure, the flaws and insecurities in some areas were visible even before, as all those victories resulted from late goals. The Scousers won the majority of the games following the same pattern - score two, waste the lead and then struck late for an eventual win.

However, bumps have appeared on the road as Slot's side has shown an incapability to successfully use the qualities of its latest recruits, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz.

The Reds spent a staggering £450m during the latest transfer window, but instead of reaping the dividends of that massive spending, the impact of the mentioned players has been close to none.

Moreover, Slot's decision to leave Mohamed Salah on the Istanbul bench proved to be more than a serious gamble - it was an unforgivable mistake. When the legendary forward came on around the hour mark, things were already too bad for the visitors, with Galatasaray firmly holding onto the lead while Liverpool were struggling to show their presence in the rival's box.

"Again, I'm disappointed," said Slot, talking to Amazon Prime after the game.

"For me, this was a different performance on and off the ball [than Crystal Palace]. First half we played quite well and had a big chance to go 1-0 up.

"It is difficult to compare this situation to before. We are sometimes a bit out-smarted in situations like this and I cannot blame Dominik Szoboszlai for the situation. They make a 20% penalty a 100% penalty, which is very smart from them.

"We are not so far [off the level shown last season]. This is sometimes what the schedule can bring - Galatasaray is not a simple game."

To make matters worse, Liverpool's two consecutive losses are followed by a Saturday night visit to Chelsea in the Premier League.

"We now play Chelsea away, a difficult game. The margins are small and they were last season. For the second time in a row we are on the wrong side," concluded Slot.

His captain, Virgil van Dijk, was quite honest speaking to Amazon Prime:

"Losing is bad. These two games don't feel nice. I have been in the game a long time, it's about working and keeping your head down."

Crystal shines at full brilliance! Selhurst madness is here; Man City second half rapsody

On how far they are from the authority they had last season, the Dutch defender said: "I think we have showed it already in many games this season but we haven't shown it for the full 90 minutes yet, unfortunately.

"It is absolutely normal and nowadays you don't get the time from the outside world so you have to be strong mentally.

"I am very confident, we have to keep working and sticking together. We had a good start this year in terms of points tally.

"There shouldn't be panic, but improvement is needed."

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 2

Tuesday

Atalanta - Club Brugge 2-1 (0-1)

/Samardzic 73 pen, Pasalic 87 - Tzolis 38/

Kairat - Real Madrid 0-5 (0-1)

/Mbappe 25 pen, 52, 74, Camavinga 83, Diaz 90+3/

Atletico Madrid - Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 (3-0)

/Raspadori 4, Le Normand 33, Griezmann 45+1, 68, Alvarez 82 pen - Burkardt 57/

Bodo/Glimt - Tottenham 2-2 (0-0)

/Hauge 53, 66 - Van de Ven 69, Richarlison 89/

Chelsea - Benfica 1-0 (1-0)

/Rios 18 og/

Galatasaray - Liverpool 1-0 (1-0)

/Osimhen 16 pen/

Inter - Slavia Prague 3-0 (2-0)

/Lautaro 30, 65, Dumfries 34/

Olympique Marseille - Ajax 4-0 (3-0)

/Paixao 6, 13, Greenwood 26, Aubameyang 53/

Pafos - Bayern 1-5 (1-4)

/Orsic 45 - Kane 15, 35, Guerreiro 21, Jackson 31, Olise 69/

Wednesday

19.45: (2.70) Qarabag (3.35) Copenhagen (2.60)

19.45: (3.50) St.Gilloise (3.45) Newcastle (2.10)

22.00: (1.20) Arsenal (6.75) Olympiakos (14.0)

22.00: (1.95) Barcelona (3.70) PSG (3.70)

22.00: (1.83) Dortmund (3.50) Ath.Bilbao (4.50)

22.00: (1.87) Leverkusen (3.60) PSV (4.20)

22.00: (6.75) Monaco (4.40) Man.City (1.48)

22.00: (1.90) Napoli (3.50) Sporting (4.10)

22.00: (2.35) Villareal (3.35) Juventus (3.05)

***odds are subject to change***