Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has hit out at his club following their 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray in Tuesday’s first leg of the Champions League round of 16.
Mario Lemina‘s header — set up by Victor Osimhen — gave the hosts an early lead in Istanbul and proved enough to replicate their victory from when the two sides met in the league phase in September.
Carragher had criticism aplenty for the struggling Merseyside club on CBS’s Champions League coverage after yet another disappointing performance.
“This team is just a million miles off where it was supposed to be this season, which was that we’d be talking about them in the same light as we speak about Bayern Munich right now,” Carragher said.
“It was a really good game, an end-to-end game, but it was a bad game for Liverpool.
“I don’t think Galatasaray are a great team. It’s a team Liverpool should beat.
“That was the point in Liverpool spending over £400m [$538] in the summer, to go to the next step from winning the Premier League to go on and win the Champions League.”
Liverpool’s inconsistent form has left them in a competitive race for European football, currently sitting sixth in the Premier League.
“It’s not just the defeat, the performances are a big worry for the manager,” Carragher said.
“I’ve said before he’s got to change something but he’s tried everything really, but nothing seems to work.
“We’re talking about a team who have to overcome a deficit against Galatasaray, and I think they will, but I don’t have any hope that Liverpool will go any further than that, if it is PSG in the next round.
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“At no stage this season have I felt Liverpool are in control of a football match.
“Do I think a new manager could change it? I don’t think it dramatically changes.
“The make up of the squad, how it has been put together and the lack of options in certain areas is a big problem as well.
“It’s not all about the manager but as we know, managers carry the can.”
