Jeremy Jacquet and Virgil van Dijk in action for Liverpool
Jeremy Jacquet and Virgil van Dijk in action for Liverpool
Liverpool’s perfect start to their Champions League campaign came to an end with a 3-2 defeat to Fenerbahce in Istanbul on Wednesday night.
The Reds twice took the lead at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium through 19-year-old Trey Nyoni and substitute Alexander Isak, but defensive lapses allowed the hosts to respond on both occasions.
Mason Greenwood, Archie Brown and Vedat Muriqi scored for Fenerbahce to complete a remarkable comeback and hand Andoni Iraola’s side their first defeat in the competition this season.
Here are the five things we learnt from the Champions League encounter against Fenerbahce:
1. Trey Nyoni is ready for the big stage and should be a regular starter
Trey Nyoni is closing in on a new contract with Liverpool and strengthened his case for an improved deal with an impressive performance against Fenerbahce.
The 19-year-old became the second-youngest Liverpool player to score in the Champions League proper after opening his account for the club with a first-half volley in Wednesday’s clash in Istanbul.
Nyoni is currently enjoying an impressive run of form and is making himself increasingly difficult for Andoni Iraola to leave out of the starting XI.
2. Bradley Barcola failed to impress in the No.9 position
Bradley Barcola started as a No. 9 for Liverpool against Fenerbahce, a strange decision from Andoni Iraola, who continues to rotate his squad due to the demanding fixture schedule.
Playing every two or three days has been a recurring theme this season, but Barcola failed to impress in the central attacking role as Liverpool suffered their first defeat in the competition.
It remains unclear whether the Frenchman will be used in the same position in future games, but one thing is clear: he is not a natural No. 9.
3. Defensive organisation needs to be better
Liverpool’s defence was their undoing against Fenerbahce. The Reds have now failed to keep a clean sheet in their last two matches, conceding three goals in each of their last two Champions League games.
They shipped three against LASK despite securing a 6-3 victory, before suffering another defensive setback against Fenerbahce. Andoni Iraola will need to address his side’s defensive weaknesses if Liverpool are to get back on track in the competition.
Iraola said after the game: “”The main reason I can find to lose the game is we conceded [from] three set-pieces. It’s something that we were doing very well in the league, I think we were dealing [with it] quite well until today.
“We knew it was one of the strengths of Fenerbahce but we concede from a free-kick, from a corner, even from the long throw at the end.
“They are goals that have hurt us because we have twice gone in front after having good moments, controlling the game, arriving.
“We found the goals. But after, we conceded in situations that we definitely should defend better. It’s frustration, because it’s a difficult place to come here and to play and we were for the most part of the game thinking, ‘OK, we can win this one.’
“But obviously it hasn’t happened. We have conceded, especially the first goal and the third goal – the second one is a rebound – but the wall, I don’t think we set it properly and the last one Muriqi jumps and wins the ball against three of our defenders, it’s something that definitely we have to defend better.”
4. Kostas Tsimikas and Milos Kerkez have not been impressive at left back
Since Andy Robertson left Liverpool last summer, both Kostas Tsimikas and Milos Kerkez have struggled to establish themselves as the club’s first-choice left-back.
Tsimikas has been preferred in cup competitions, while Kerkez has generally started in the Premier League. However, neither has been particularly convincing so far, leaving Andoni Iraola with a selection headache as he continues to tinker with his defence in search of the right balance.
If both players fail to improve, the Reds may need to turn to the transfer market for a new left-back, particularly with Tsimikas’ contract set to expire at the end of the season.
5. Liverpool must find consistency before making squad rotation a priority
Despite playing every two or three days, Andoni Iraola needs to find consistency in his team selection rather than rotating too frequently, particularly as players are still getting used to one another at the club.
The players could argue that constantly playing alongside different teammates makes it difficult to build chemistry and understanding on the pitch.
It will be interesting to see what Iraola does after the November international break, with fixtures expected to come thick and fast.
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