Four things we learnt as Liverpool fall to Champions League defeat against Galatasaray

Slot's side struggled to build up from the back or show any signs of intensity and aggression that has become synonymous with the Merseyside club, and often looked nervy in possession.

A late penalty for the visitors, given by on-field referee Clement Turpin, was rightfully overturned by VAR leaving the Reds scrambling for an equaliser that never came.

The night was a major disappointment for Liverpool, who followed a poor performance at Selhurst Park this weekend up with an performance equally bereft of much quality this evening.

With that being said, here are four things we learnt from the match.

Liverpool continue to look vulnerable

Liverpool have shown vulnerabilities and fragilities throughout the start of this campaign and tonight was no different.

The Reds started the game in promising fashion, with Florian Wirtz picking out some tidy passes and Hugo Ekitike squandering a great chance when put through on goal.

But the problem was that Galatasaray made the Liverpool back-line look shaky every time they came forward, and it took just 15 minutes for the nerves to be translated into a goal.

Szoboszlai can consider himself unfortunate that his flailing arm that caught Yilmaz was deemed enough for a penalty, but it typified a defence that was scrambling.

It could be down to a lack of protection in front of the back four; the penalty came from an initial Liverpool attack.

Liverpool showed a lack of aggression in midfield, something that has become synonymous with Liverpool sides of late.

And that was also typified at the end of the first half, when Ryan Gravenberch gave the ball away on the edge of the box, an unnecessary gift of a dangerous free-kick to the Turkish opposition.

But individually, the defence has not lived up to the supremely high standards that were set last year. It has been littered with basic errors and has led to goals.

Florian Wirtz improvement

It wasn’t a pretty performance from Liverpool, and the positives were minimal, but Wirtz did catch the eye on occasion.

There’s no secret that he has had a slow start to life for the Merseyside club, but performances have seen small improvements; the results just haven’t quite got there yet.

A pearler of a ball to send Ekitike through in the first half, a lovely dink to send Isak on goal in the second, but both chances were squandered by the forwards.

His agility and elegance on the ball are starting to shine through, too, and there is little doubt that with time he will be a mainstay in this Liverpool side - he has already featured in every match this season and clearly has the boss’s vote of confidence.

There are still concerns; he isn’t aggressive enough in the midfield and is struggling to find the ruthlessness in front of goal.

But, there is a lot of ability there, and if the rest of the squad was playing anywhere near the level they showed last season, a lot less spotlight would be put on Wirtz and he would be allowed to bed into the league and team much easier.

Jeremie Frimpong - full-back or winger? Arne Slot can’t decide

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s departure to Real Madrid this summer left a major hole on the right-hand side of the defence for Liverpool - one they thought they had covered with Conor Bradley and the arrival of Jeremie Frimpong.

But both were in the squad today - Frimpong even started the match - and neither began the game at right-back, demonstrating Slot’s indecisiveness over his favoured back line.

Instead, it was Szoboszlai at right-back, who admittedly has looked fantastic this season, but was exposed on multiple occasions on the night.

If both Frimpong and Bradley are fit, why are neither starting in Alexander-Arnold’s position?

Frimpong instead played on the wing, replacing Salah, which extends the concern to whether Slot actually sees him as a full-back at all.

The Dutch star is obviously an attacking full-back, Liverpool were well aware of this before signing him, but Szoboszlai is not the long-term solution to their issue, in that position anyway.

The right-back situation adds another concern for Slot to consider, along with Wirtz’s quiet start, Alexander Isak not being picked again for tonight’s fixture, and Salah’s drastic decline in form, to name a few. The list grows as the season continues.

​Alisson’s injury is a big worry

It has been well-documented Liverpool’s woes at the back, but one man who has always stood tall and not allowed his levels to drop this season is Alisson.

The Brazilian saved Liverpool on multiple occasions against Crystal Palace over the weekend, only for the team to ultimately lose in the dying seconds.

And yet again tonight, Alisson kept the game within reach. Despite the chaos going on in front of him, the Champions League winner always remains supremely calm.

Unfortunately, the 32-year-old left the field, along with Ekitike, with an injury during the second half.

Liverpool will be hoping this injury does not keep him out for a significant amount of time - they have relied on him more than ever this season.