After another toothless performance against Galatasaray, Arne Slot was asked about the lacklustre performances of Florian Wirtz and Mo Salah.
It’s hard to come to any conclusion other than that Liverpool didn’t turn up against Galatasaray.
In Slot’s post-match press conference, Salah and Wirtz were brought up after failing to impact the game in any meaningful way.
Who was Liverpool’s worst player vs Galatasaray? 😬
Ibrahima Konate during Galatasaray AS v Liverpool FC - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 First Leg. Mohamed Salah pictured during Galatasaray v Liverpool - UEFA Champions League.
Credit: Liverpool FC/Cem Hasret Tekkesinoglu/Anadolu/Getty Images
The Liverpool boss saw it another way, and came back with a rebuttal which won’t land with most fans.
Arne Slot disagrees with criticism of Florian Wirtz and Mo Salah
During the post-match press conference, the suggestion was put to Slot that his two star attackers simply hadn’t been involved enough to alter the outcome of the match.
It was a sentiment shared by the travelling support, who watched Wirtz fluff his lines in front of goal and Salah fail to register a single shot on target. However, the Liverpool boss rejected the premise of the question, offering a rebuttal that felt detached from the reality of the performance.
He responded: “No, I think they were quite involved to be honest, especially in the first half where they had a lot of involvement and they were a lot of times close to very promising situations or even chances.
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“It felt to me at halftime that we missed an opportunity.”
After an absence through injury, Wirtz didn’t look ready for Liverpool. Salah hasn’t looked on it all season.
Ok, let’s all agree Slot’s done, who you want to see in the dugout next?
Arne Slot ahead of Galatasaray v Liverpool - UEFA Champions League
Credit: Arife Karakum/Anadolu/Anadolu/Getty Images
Sure, they got on the ball at times, but to label this as anything other than a bad performance from those two is plain wrong.
He finishes by saying: “I think they’ve had their moments in an away game in Europe, you cannot expect 15 chances for them, but the quality players they are usually and another time they will be able to get more of these situations than we did today.”
That’s a line that has been used far too many times this season. ‘Usually, they would score’. They haven’t been.
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