Champions League progression would mask Liverpool reality - they are going nowhere
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Liverpool Echo IconSportFootballLiverpool FCOn-the-whistle analysis from Paul Gorst as Liverpool lose 1-0 to Galatasaray in their Champions League round of 16 first-leg tie in TurkeyArne Slot will express incredulity at the sight of Liverpool conceding with the first shot of their opponent once more. He will bemoan a tight VAR call that disallowed the scruffiest of equalisers.And he will insist that the Anfield factor will be just as imperative as Rams Park when these two teams reconvene for the second leg.But the harsh reality is that Liverpool, once more, let a game pass them by en route to an avoidable defeat.Another visit to Istanbul ends with a second successive 1-0 loss, leaving the Reds squad with plenty to rue and more to stew on as they return to Merseyside.FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE!
All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo's dedicated LFC Facebook pageLiverpool may well still fancy themselves to overturn this slender deficit when a Galatasaray side arrive at Anfield without their own supporters but thoughts of European Cup No.7 nestling into the club's trophy appear fanciful at this stage.A better team than Slot's current iteration of the Reds would have dispatched their hosts long before the half-hour mark after they were gifted a handful of chances following a bright and aggressive start.But they failed to convert any of them, including a two for a disappointing Florian Wirtz, and they were caught by Mario Lemina's header after failing to deal with a corner.It was the Galatasaray's first effort on target, seven minutes in, and that was all they needed to take this advantage into the second leg.Anfield, as it usually does on these occasions, will be expected to perform next Wednesday and Slot, privately at least, might feel as though his charges will have enough about them to secure their passage to the quarter-finals of a second cup competition this term.But he won't want to get too confident because this was another performance largely lacking invention and imagination and full of defensive lapses that could have made the result even worse.While it was an entertaining and often end-to-end spectacle for the neutral, it was essentially two of the Champions League's also-rans scrapping and scuffling. Both will be flattered by status of quarter-finalists.Liverpool might still have enough in the tank next week to turn around this deficit but doing so will only mask the team's current reality.A huge summer of recruitment is needed to strengthen this squad with the sort of quality that will provide genuine depth.This team is going nowhere this season.Paul GorstPaul Gorst is the Liverpool ECHO's Liverpool FC correspondent and brings readers the inside track on all matters Anfield day in, day out.
He brings you all the latest Liverpool news first each day, plus exclusive interviews and insightful, independent analysis. A journalist with over a decade's worth of experience, he has worked at the ECHO since 2016.Choose Liverpool Echo as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.Liverpool FCUEFA Champions LeagueArne Slot