Slot laments missed opportunities and VAR issues in defeat to Liverpool
Arne Slot expressed his dissatisfaction with the officiating and Liverpool’s missed opportunities following Tuesday’s Champions League last-16 defeat against Galatasaray.
Mario Lemina’s early header from a poorly defended corner was the decisive factor in a 1-0 first-leg victory during a challenging evening in Istanbul, where the Reds had previously suffered a similar defeat in September’s league phase encounter.
It could have been worse for Liverpool as Galatasaray sought to increase their lead, yet the open nature of the match allowed the visitors opportunities to equalize or potentially secure a win heading into next Wednesday’s return match at Anfield.
Head coach Slot remarked after his 100th match in charge: “We began the game very well, even better than three months ago.”
“We had three or four excellent chances. The most significant moment was when Florian (Wirtz) approached almost an open goal, but he failed to convert that opportunity.”
“We couldn’t find the back of the net, and similar to last time, their first attack resulted in a corner, and you have to commend how they approach their chances as if it’s the last opportunity they’ll ever have.”
“That is certainly a lesson we can take away. Sometimes when we get our chances, it seems we believe we’ll have ten more.”
“It’s already a challenging venue to visit, but being down 1-0 makes it even more difficult.”
Ibrahima Konaté had an equalizer disallowed by VAR official Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez for handball during a scramble at a second-half corner, and Slot does “not believe it is possible for so many things to go against us” as they have in their visits to Galatasaray.
The Liverpool manager is confident that “things will be more straightforward in a home match for us” after referee Jesus Gil Manzano’s decisions frustrated him in Turkey, where he felt the atmosphere affected his performance.
“It’s always quite challenging to communicate with referees in such situations as they are in contact with VAR and must heed what is being communicated,” Slot stated.
“If, if, if it is accurate that the goal was disallowed, which is hard to assess as I’ve heard varying opinions from others, it’s not entirely clear, but let’s assume that decision is correct.”
“Then I was even more disheartened by the fact that for every free-kick and corner we took, if we only consider Galatasaray players, the referee consistently awarded a free-kick to Galatasaray.”
“If you then consider how much they were pulling on Virgil’s (van Dijk) shirt before the ball struck Ibou’s arm, it’s safe to say we weren’t the only ones affected by the atmosphere here today.”
Slot continued: “In the Premier League, there is much more leeway than in the Champions League.”
“That’s why I was so astonished it wasn’t a penalty because in all the other instances where he believed he saw something when we committed a foul, he was quick to blow his whistle and award Galatasaray a free-kick.”
“Then it’s truly, truly, truly surprising that the same referee in another situation when they commit a foul decides to let it go entirely.”
“However, if you consider the overall 90 minutes, I don’t think I can be surprised by that decision.”
