Liverpool find themselves in a strange place this season, a place that feels both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. They are still a giant club with world-class players, still a team with ambition burning through every fiber, still a squad capable of beating anyone on their day. But they are also a team struggling with identity, struggling with balance, struggling with the tactical clarity that once defined them. And the cracks are beginning to show, nowhere more painfully than in their Champions League defeat to Galatasaray.
Arne Slot walked into Liverpool knowing the pressure, he knew that replacing Klopp would never be easy, he knew that fans expected not just results but a brand of football that could inspire, could dominate, could crush opponents. And at first, there were flashes of that. Liverpool started the season brightly, fighting, running, pressing with intensity. But slowly, as the games piled up, as injuries struck, as new players tried to adjust, the sharpness began to fade. What once looked like a well-oiled machine now feels more like a collection of expensive parts that don’t quite fit together.
The defeat in Istanbul cut deep. The atmosphere was hostile, the noise deafening, the pressure immense. Galatasaray smelled blood from the very beginning. Liverpool were not terrible, but they were never in control either. They huffed, they puffed, they tried to wrestle the game back, but they always looked vulnerable, always looked one mistake away from disaster. And when the moment came, it was a mistake that broke them.
Victor Osimhen stepped up with confidence, converting the penalty that gave Galatasaray the lead. But the real story was in the build-up, the story of Dominik Szoboszlai, a player thrown into a role he should never have been asked to play. Szoboszlai is a midfielder, an attacking force, a man who thrives when he is free to run forward, create, shoot, and drive his team on. But with Trent Alexander-Arnold gone in the summer and no natural replacement secured, Slot had no choice but to improvise. And so Szoboszlai found himself at right-back in Istanbul, facing a Galatasaray winger who played like a man possessed.
Baris Alper Yilmaz ran at him all night. He ran with fury, with speed, with purpose. Szoboszlai could not cope. The penalty came from a clumsy trailing arm, but that was only part of the story. Time and time again the Hungarian was beaten, time and time again Galatasaray found joy down his side. The numbers tell the story: Yilmaz won all seven of his duels. Szoboszlai lost 75% of his. It was brutal, it was exposing, it was the kind of mismatch that can destroy a player’s confidence.
Liverpool fans watching knew it, commentators knew it, even Slot knew it deep down. Playing Szoboszlai at right-back is not a solution, it is a gamble, and in Istanbul, that gamble failed. For all his work-rate and effort, he simply does not have the defensive instincts, the positioning, the awareness needed to thrive there. It is not his fault. He was asked to do a job that is not natural to him, and he paid the price. The question now is whether Slot will persist or whether he will admit the experiment cannot continue.
But it was not just Szoboszlai who struggled. Ibrahima Konate, once seen as the rock of Liverpool’s defense, looked shaky again. The French defender has been out of form for weeks, errors creeping into his game, confidence slipping away. Against Galatasaray, he was hesitant, slow to react, unsure. He was meant to dominate, to impose himself, to lead the backline, but instead, he looked fragile. And with Real Madrid reportedly watching his situation closely as his contract runs down, the pressure is building. Konate needs to find himself again, and fast, because Liverpool cannot afford to carry a center-back who is making mistake after mistake.
It did not help that Liverpool were already weakened. Giovanni Leoni’s ACL injury against Southampton robbed them of another defensive option. Marc Guehi was a summer target, but the club failed to secure him, and now those decisions are haunting them. A defense patched together, a midfield unbalanced, an attack that sometimes shines but sometimes fades—it all adds up to a team that feels vulnerable.
Florian Wirtz was another talking point. The young German is gifted, no doubt, but his confidence is draining. Fans can see it in his body language, in his hesitations, in the way he sometimes hides rather than demands the ball. He will be scapegoated by some, but in truth, he is one of the few creative sparks Liverpool have right now. Slot must protect him, must nurture him, because if Wirtz collapses under the pressure, Liverpool will lose one of their most important players for the future.
The defeat in Istanbul could have been softened in the dying minutes. Liverpool thought they had a lifeline when they were awarded a late penalty. The players celebrated, the bench came alive, Slot dared to believe. But then VAR intervened. The penalty was overturned, the hope was crushed, and with it came a wave of frustration and despair. For fans, it was agony. For the players, it was humiliation. For Slot, it was another reminder that his project is far from ready.
Some fans are already restless. They compare this Liverpool to Klopp’s Liverpool and see a pale imitation. The pressing is not as sharp, the midfield is not as dominant, the defense is not as reliable. Slot is still searching for answers, still searching for the balance that will make this team tick. But time is not on his side. The Champions League is ruthless, the Premier League is relentless, and if he cannot fix things quickly, the season could spiral out of control.
The truth is, Slot inherited a difficult situation. Klopp left him a squad in transition. Some players were aging, others were unproven, and the loss of Alexander-Arnold created a hole that was never properly filled. Add to that the injuries, the pressure of expectation, the weight of replacing a legend, and you can see why things are tough. But Liverpool is not a club that deals in excuses. They demand results, they demand performances, they demand excellence. And Slot must deliver.
The weekend brings another challenge, and already the questions are flying. Should Szoboszlai be dropped? Should Konate be benched? Should the system be changed? Every Liverpool fan has an opinion, every pundit has advice, but only Slot can make the decisions. He must be bold, he must be ruthless, he must be clear. Continuing with experiments that do not work will only bring more pain.
The problem is not just individuals, it is the whole structure. Liverpool look too open, too easy to play through. Their transitions are messy, their pressing disorganized. In the past, opponents would fear Liverpool’s intensity, would crumble under the weight of their press. Now, they are finding space, finding confidence, finding goals. It is a dangerous trend, and it must be reversed.
There is still hope. This is not a catastrophe, not yet. The talent in the squad is undeniable. Players like Osimhen, Chiesa, Wirtz, Isak—they can win games on their own. Alisson remains world-class, capable of saving Liverpool when all else fails. Robertson still fights with everything, Mac Allister still battles, Gravenberch still grows. The ingredients are there, but the recipe is not right.
Slot must also remember the mentality of Liverpool. This is a club that thrives on fightbacks, on resilience, on proving people wrong. They have been here before, wounded, doubted, written off, only to rise again. The fans will not give up, not yet, but they need to see signs, they need to see fight, they need to believe.
For now, though, the spotlight burns on Szoboszlai and Konate. One thrown into an impossible role, the other drowning in his own mistakes. Both must respond, both must show they are not weak links, both must prove they belong. Liverpool cannot afford passengers. They cannot afford excuses. They need warriors.
The Galatasaray defeat was painful, but perhaps it can be a turning point. Perhaps it can be the slap in the face that forces Slot and his players to wake up. Perhaps it can remind them that talent is not enough, that desire, structure, discipline matter just as much. If they learn, if they adapt, if they fight, then Liverpool can still have a great season. But if they continue like this, if they continue to stumble, then the dreams of trophies will vanish into disappointment.
Liverpool have the players, they have the history, they have the support. Now they must have the answers. Because football is cruel, and it does not wait for those who hesitate
