Liverpool made the same mistake 126 times against Galatasaray and Jeremie Frimpong is most to blame

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Jeremie Frimpong’s performance has outlined one of Arne Slot’s biggest problems at Liverpool this season.

The Reds have not been convincing throughout the opening portion of the campaign, but until the 2-1 loss against Crystal Palace in the Premier League, they managed to somehow get over the line.

Federico Chiesa’s 87th-minute equaliser at Selhurst Park marked the eighth time the champions have scored a goal in the final ten minutes of a match this season.

However, no last-gasp goal emerged in the Champions League on Tuesday after VAR overturned Ibrahima Konate’s penalty claim, and Victor Osimhen’s early spot-kick handed the Reds a consecutive defeat across all competitions.

While Mohamed Salah has come under criticism alongside many of his teammates, a collective concern is growing at Anfield, which has now become difficult to overlook following the trip to Istanbul.

Jeremie Frimpong is the main culprit against Galatasaray

Liverpool players lost possession of the ball a combined 126 times at RAMS Park as they struggled to cope in the volatile atmosphere.

Frimpong appeared uncomfortable at right wing for most of the clash – the Dutchman performed worst for the Reds in this aspect, as he lost the ball 16 times on the night.

Furthermore, Liverpool had seven players lose possession more than 10 times with all of Galatasaray’s attacks being the result of quick transitions after winning back the ball.

Frimpong produced his worst performance since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen this summer during the Carabao Cup win against Southampton, but the full-back has yet to find his feet for the Reds.

The 24-year-old established himself as one of the best right-backs in world football during his spell in Germany, but he, like fellow Leverkusen arrival Florian Wirtz, has looked nowhere near the required standard for Liverpool.

Nevertheless, Frimpong has the ability to be a difference maker, and it appears the supporters will have to be patient and trust that the Dutchman will soon show the form he displayed in the Bundesliga, but for now, he is certainly a key part of a larger problem for the Reds.

As laid out by the statistics, even captain Virgil van Dijk struggled to get his side going in Turkey – Slot must address this problem now and ensure the trend does not continue against Chelsea.

Arne Slot comments on mistakes from his Liverpool players

While it is hardly time to raise the alarms at Anfield, Liverpool’s wastefulness with the ball has cost them valuable points in their last two outings.

On far too many occasions, the players have failed to make the final pass which could have led to a goal, or dallied on the ball far too long and allowed the opposition to win it back in dangerous areas.

Slot, on the other hand, doesn’t seem particularly concerned with the stats when speaking in his post-match interview.

“It’s difficult. There can be so many reasons why an individual makes an error pass or a mistake. What you see is, and I think I explained this many times, is that there are a few players from us that missed pre-season, so you simply cannot play them every single (game).

“Well, you can, but then that could become a risk of players becoming injured. We have seen this more and more because the demands go up more and more, and if the demands go up, you have to prepare players for these demands. That means it is not always that I want to rotate, but sometimes I need to because a player is not ready to play three times 90 minutes in seven or eight days.