Former Liverpool star Jermaine Pennant has slammed Arne Slot after his side lost their latest Champions League game. Travelling away to Galatasaray, the Reds failed to impress and lost the first leg of their last 16 tie 1-0.
Playing at the Rams Park in Istanbul, the home team were able to claim a win, having scored the only goal of the game after just seven minutes. Mario Lemina was on hand to head home from close range after Slot’s men failed to deal with a corner.
Both teams actually had goals ruled out in the second half, with Victor Osimhen’s effort pulled up for offside, while Ibrahima Konate was said to have handled the ballbefore it crossed the line for Liverpool’sruled-out effort. Despite that drama, the Reds can hardly say they were at their best on the night.
Pennant Unhappy Over Rio Ngumoha Treatment
After the defeat, former winger Pennant fully turned on Slot. In particular, he seemed angry that the Dutchman opted against using Rio Ngumoha in the second half of the Champions League clash. Taking to social media, he angrily wrote:
“Ok I’m done with Slot now, played 65 mins and man of the match last game. 87 mins gone, every single player has been horrendous, and Rio has not came on…… please anyone tell make it make sense please.”
His post quickly went viral, drawing hundreds of comments and over 100,000 views.
Florian Wirtz was trusted to start at left wing, but struggled to make a positive impact. He wasted a number of big chances early on, and completed only 71 % of his 28 attempted passes. He was subbed off after 72 minutes with a 6.3 SofaScore rating, which was the worst of any player on the pitch.
Evidently, much to Pennant’s frustration, Slot opted against using Ngumoha off the bench and instead turned to the more senior man in Cody Gakpo. The Dutch winger was unable to help the Reds find a goal in the final stages of the match.
Steven Gerrard Also Keen on More Ngumoha Minutes
Still only 17, Ngumoha has been used sparingly this season. He has 11 Premier League appearances, but they only combine for 128 minutes. In the Champions League, it’s been even harder for him to play, with just 39 minutes spread across two outings.
The young winger had actually started the 3-1 FA Cup win against Wolves over the weekend. While he didn’t score or assist, he was one of the liveliest players on the pitch, which may explain why Pennant was so keen to see him feature against Galatasaray. He’s not the only former player to demand more minutes for the teenager, either.
Earlier in March, after the Premier League loss to Wolves, Steven Gerrard told TNT Sports: “[Slot] has to start Ngumoha now. He [Slot] has to start him [Ngumoha] because he’s coming on and he’s doing more in a short cameo in a short space of time than [Cody] Gakpo’s doing in 65, 70 minutes. He deserves to start now.”
It remains to be seen if Ngumoha will get more minutes in bigger games over the final months of the season.