One former Liverpool player has come out to defend Arne Slot, after the under-fire Dutchman left a certain Reds star on the bench, during their demoralising 1-0 first leg defeat at Galatasaray.
Don Hutchison explains why Arne Slot is right to be cautious with Rio Ngumoha as Liverpool face selection questions following the Galatasaray defeat.
Liverpool fans won’t want to look back on that depressing defeat for too long, as their players just couldn’t handle the high-intensity Champions League contest, inside the hostile environment of RAMS Park.
Mario Lemina’s header was the only goal of the game; subsequently, despite Liverpool carving out many opportunities of their own, as seen in them firing 15 shots at the Gala goal.
Liverpool have still never won an away game at Galatasaray in the Champions League:
✅ 0 wins
🤝 1 draw
❌ 3 losses pic.twitter.com/ITvW8kuMlV
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 10, 2026
Yet, something always seems to be in the air when Liverpool travel to the Turkish capital that stops them from picking up a precious win, as four meetings have now passed them by without a victory.
There is always the second leg for Liverpool to turn the tie around, though, but until that crucial second contest takes place, Slot will rightly take pelters for the lack of gamble seen in his side during that 1-0 defeat.
In particular, former Liverpool player Jermaine Pennant has taken to social media to blast Slot’s decision-making in leaving Rio Nguhoma rooted to the substitutes bench, declaring the move as enough to make him “done” with the Dutchman’s struggling tenure.
Thankfully, other former Reds personnel have come out of the woodwork to support the under-pressure 47-year-old, particularly when it comes to his call involving the much-talked-about teenager.
Rio Ngumoha: 2025/26 Season “Impact” Stats
Stats based on first-team appearances as a substitute (all competitions):
Metric Nguhoma
Total substitute appearances 16
Minutes played 215 mins
Goals scored 1
Assists 0
The Liverpool star defending Slot
Nguhoma has often been a breath of fresh air from the bench this season for Liverpool, when games have become monotonous.
Usually twisting and turning defenders for fun, the 17-year-old could well have felt aggrieved that he wasn’t handed a chance to start against Oran Buruk’s side, after a sublime performance against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 3-1 FA Cup win.
However, as ex-Reds midfielder Don Hutchison – who made 60 appearances for Liverpool in the 1990’s – has rightly come out to say, the teenage starlet would have likely frozen up, in such a pressurised environment, on the already daunting stage of the Champions League.
Do you honestly think Gala at home is the place for Rio to be starting? At Anfield in the 2nd leg then 💯.
The kid is only 17 with couple of starts behind him. Gala is an incredibly hostile atmosphere. Rio has a long brilliant future ahead of him. Be patient 👍🏼 https://t.co/Kz6s8l5qMp
— Don Hutchison (@donhutch4) March 10, 2026
The vocal Scotsman took to X to state that “the kid is only 17” and a clash against such an intimidating European foe could have swallowed him whole.
Yet, he hasn’t ruled out a starting spot for him at Anfield, where he will surely feel more comfortable to strut his stuff.
Calling for patience surrounding the teenager is also a smart move, as overplaying and overhyping the slick attacker could be detrimental down the line.
It will be fascinating to see if Nguhoma is given the nod to start against Tottenham Hotspur this weekend, as the Englishman’s constant gung-ho style will surely be headache-inducing for an already troubled Spurs defence to try and thwart.
If he does shine against the crisis-ridden North Londoners, he might well be thrown in from the start against Gala, in a pivotal match for Liverpool’s European hopes.