Liverpool's 'dishevelled' performance in defeat at Fenerbahce showed depth of Andoni Iraola's squad is not good enough, says Steve McManaman

Steve McManaman has warned that Liverpool’s squad is not strong enough to sustain their ambitions after Andoni Iraola’s side suffered a damaging 3-2 UEFA Champions League defeat to Fenerbahce, and insists the club must recruit more quality in January.

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The former Liverpool midfielder delivered a blunt assessment of the Reds' shortcomings after they twice surrendered the lead in Istanbul, arguing that Iraola’s rotation policy exposed the gulf between his strongest players and the alternatives available to him.

The six-time European champions appeared on course to extend their perfect Champions League record when teenager Trey Nyoni opened the scoring, and again when Alexander Isak restored their advantage in the second half after coming off the bench.

However, defensive lapses allowed Mason Greenwood and Archie Brown to both equalise before Vedat Muriqi headed home the winner, leaving the visitors to reflect on a performance that unravelled despite twice having an advantage.

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For McManaman, the result was evidence that Liverpool cannot afford to compromise their defensive strength against demanding European opposition, regardless of the pressures of a congested fixture list.

“I thought it was very disappointing and a very underwhelming performance," he told TNT Sports.

"The goals they conceded were awful, to be very honest. I think what comes out of this game tonight is that when you play certain opposition or in the Champions League, you have to go with your strongest defence.

"Liverpool changed it around yet again, and conceded some awful goals. Three tonight, three against LASK and three against Villarreal."

His concerns extend beyond a single defeat. According to Opta, Liverpool had gone eight Champions League matches without losing after scoring the opening goal, a run that ended on the banks of the Bosphorus.

Fenerbahce had not previously won a Champions League match after conceding first since defeating Chelsea in April 2008. The statistics underline how unusual this collapse was, but McManaman believes the more significant issue is Liverpool’s inability to maintain their standards when Iraola makes changes.

“That's not going to get you very far when you're conceding the number of goals in each game," McManaman added.

"They should start games strong and then bring players off. They shouldn't start weak, make mistakes, and then bring players on. Apart from the [Cody] Gakpo cross for Isak, they didn't make that big a difference."

Iraola had left Isak, Florian Wirtz and Gakpo out of his starting line-up as Liverpool approached the end of a demanding sequence of nine matches in 27 days.

Given the workload involved, resting key attackers was understandable. Yet McManaman argued that the manager's selection decisions had left his side vulnerable, with the defensive changes proving particularly costly.

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“They got out-worked, out-run, and that's a poor Champions League performance because we saw this Fenerbahce team lose 6-0 to Aston Villa," he added.

Liverpool's loss of control was central to McManaman's frustration. Nyoni's composed finish had rewarded a promising start, but Greenwood's deflected free-kick changed the complexion of the contest.

The visitors subsequently struggled to manage the occasion, allowing Fenerbahce - managed by former Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt - to build momentum and exploit their uncertainty.

Even after Isak headed home Cody Gakpo's cross to make it 2-1, Liverpool could not establish the control required to protect their advantage.

Brown was allowed to equalise before Muriqi outmuscled three opponents to score the decisive goal. McManaman was particularly scathing about the goalkeeping of Alisson for the home side's second of the evening and the defending for the winner.

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“Liverpool allowed the opposition to score goals, they went from being in complete control of the game to being completely dishevelled," McManaman said.

"For the third goal, it just gets worse. No one puts pressure on him. Fair play to Muriqi, who was a journeyman at Mallorca, but he just outmuscled three Liverpool players.

"He just wanted it more than they did. Alisson was in No Man's Land for the second, and Liverpool didn't cover themselves in glory all evening.”

Alexander Isak came off the bench to score but Liverpool fell to defeat

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McManaman's conclusion was unequivocal, with January now representing an opportunity for Liverpool to address what he considers a fundamental weakness.

“The Liverpool squad is not strong enough," he admitted. "Fourteen to 15 of them are, but the overall 22 is not and that's something they have to address in January. They need to bolster that squad and get more quality in.”

Carney: Defeat feels like a hit to Iraola

Karen Carney was equally troubled by Liverpool's performance, focusing on the defensive errors and apparent lack of cohesion that allowed Fenerbahce to recover from behind twice.

“I've had my hands on my head at the Liverpool defending," Carney told TNT Sports. "Some of it was bizarre tonight.

"It was like they'd never played together before. It started off OK to be fair, with Nyoni scoring, but Kuyt has come in and tried to galvanise the team.

"The message would have been not to give the crowd an opportunity to get up. Iraola made three big substitutions, and it was more shocking defending for Isak's goal, but they didn't capitalise on it."

Carney suggested tiredness might have contributed to Liverpool's decline after their defeat to Arsenal last Sunday at Anfield, but she also identified individual lapses that could not be explained by tiredness alone.

“In the end, Liverpool became very flat-footed, and I don't know if the players were fatigued from the Arsenal game last weekend. [Dominik] Szoboszlai completely switches off for one of the goals, he can't let Brown get a run, he's eager to get out and it's another set-piece goal.

"It's frustrating, as while the result wasn't great against Arsenal, there was a lot you admired. After that, you feel flat.

"They're still in a good position in the Champions League, it's not the be all and end all and they're on a journey with the manager, but this feels like a hit. You feel they could do so much better."

Iraola: We conceded cheap, messy goals

Iraola was left frustrated by the manner of Liverpool's 3-2 defeat, which ended their perfect start to the Champions League campaign after three successive victories. However, forthcoming fixtures against Club Brugge and Porto offer an opportunity to respond following back-to-back defeats in four days.

The Liverpool manager identified defensive shortcomings at set-pieces as the decisive factor, admitting his side had failed to deal with a threat they knew Fenerbahce possessed.

"The main reason I can find why we lost this game is we conceded from three set pieces. We knew it was one of the strengths of Fenerbahce.

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"We concede from a free-kick, a corner and even from a long throw at the end. It's frustrating because it's a difficult place to come here and play. In most parts of the game, we were thinking we could win this one, but obviously, it hasn't happened.

"We conceded cheap goals. Messy goals. The free-kick is quite far out, through the wall. The last goal was a long throw, the second one, Cody (Gakpo) touched the ball just in front of Ali (goalkeeper Alisson).

"In the stadium it was almost impossible to communicate, it was difficult for me to give instructions and the communication was difficult between Cody and Ali[sson].

"We have gone in front twice, we conceded in situations we should have definitely done better (with). The first one the wall we didn’t set properly, the last one when he jumps he wins the ball against three defenders.

"I think before scoring the goals we had very good moments on the ball, very good offensive situations. The thing is we conceded almost straight away. We have been dealing well with these situations up to today. It has cost us. We have to do better."

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