It’s not a reach to say Liverpool really could’ve lost by three or four goals, if not more, during Tuesday night’s dismal showing in Istanbul. For the second time this season, the six-time European champions were run ragged by a Galatasaray side, who, simply put, looked as if they just wanted that little bit more.
Whether they do or they don’t is a question for the Liverpool dressing room. But one thing was abundantly clear during the 90 minutes against Galatasaray: Liverpool are not going to win the Champions League for as long as Arne Slot is in charge.
In a way, the Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City performances took attention away from Liverpool after their disastrous showing against Galatasaray. At full-time, it was hard to believe we’d see anything worse from an English side in Europe this week.
The most famous night in the club’s history is dubbed the ‘Miracle of Istanbul’, but the only miracle on Tuesday was Liverpool conceding just the one goal. Ibrahima Konate did his best to give the hosts a second, with a performance that earned him a generous 1/10 in Express Sport's post-match ratings.
But, as dire as some individual performances were (Mohamed Salah hooked after 60 minutes, Alexis Mac Allister running around like a lost puppy, Florian Wirtz shrinking when Liverpool needed him most), the blame has to fall at the feet of manager Slot.
The Dutchman did a remarkable job of delivering the Premier League title last season and deserved all the praise he received. Things have been tricky in the league this time around, with the 20-time champions embroiled in a battle for Champions League qualification, instead of a title tussle at the top of the table.
But by and large, it feels as if Slot is well adept to handle the ebbs and flows of a domestic league campaign. It’s the opposite in the Champions League, with his inability to change tactically, both pre-match and as the game is developing, not suited to knockout football.
With hindsight, perhaps the Paris Saint-Germain example is unfair to use, given the Ligue 1 side went on to win the competition last season. But the first leg in Paris was almost identical to the game Liverpool played against Galatasaray - 12 months on and the same mistakes are being made in Europe.