Jeremy Jacquet endured his first difficult evening as a Liverpool player during the 3-1 Champions League defeat to Fenerbahce in Istanbul, where Andoni Iraola's decision to deploy Bradley Barcola as a central striker also backfired.
The France international had enjoyed a serene start to his Liverpool career, with many touting him as the signing of the summer and the natural successor to Virgil van Dijk. This, though, was the first real bump in the road for the 21-year-old.
Jacquet's tough test
Jacquet turned his back to deflect in a Mason Greenwood free-kick for Fenerbahce's first goal, prompting the ire of Alisson Becker, while he was among those who did not cover themselves in glory for the home team's winner. He had been given a lesson for much of the game by the awkward Romelu Lukaku, who may no longer possess blistering pace but still knows how to put his physical might to good use.
It was not just Jacquet who underperformed. Van Dijk appeared to struggle throughout having suffered a few knocks early on, while Kostas Tsimikas was fortunate not to concede a penalty when giving Greenwood a shove. On the opposite flank, Joe Gomez also had his difficulties.
This was the third time in a row the Reds had conceded three in a Champions League game. They got away with it against LASK and Villarreal, but it was never going to be sustainable. The warning signs are there for Iraola.
Barcola experiment fails
With Barcola becoming the fourth player this season to start a game as the central striker, Iraola once again mixed and matched his attacking resources. It also completed the full set for Barcola, having previously featured on both flanks following his £123million arrival from Paris Saint-Germain in late August.
For the Frenchman, the tone for the evening was set early on with a complete miskick in front of goal as he attempted to make something of a miscue from Victor Munoz, who was making his first Champions League start. Barcola, a hat-trick hero in the last Champions League away game at LASK, was later unable to get a touch on an inviting Gomez cross at the near post. It was only when drifting out wide that he became a threat, prompting one save from Fenerbahce goalkeeper Ederson second half.
He played out the final quarter on the right with little sign of improvement, with Alexander Isak netting with almost his first touch when introduced midway through the second half to show how it should be done. Barcola is not a convincing central option at present.
Reds rue missed rest
So continues the Istanbul curse for Liverpool. The Reds may have claimed both the Champions League and UEFA Super Cup in the city, but beating Turkish opposition there remains very much beyond them.
In the context of their European campaign, it should not prompt too much cause for alarm, although the likelihood is it means Liverpool will still have work to do in the New Year if they are to secure their place directly in the knockout stages. In that respect, this was an opportunity very much missed to ease the pressure on a squad that is starting to show signs of weariness towards the end of a run of nine games in 29 days.
What should be of concern is that it is a second successive defeat. Liverpool have made an encouraging habit this campaign of recovering from setbacks, but here they were on the receiving end of such a comeback. Anything less than victory at struggling Crystal Palace on Sunday will ensure the autumn momentum will have ground to a complete standstill. A pivotal few days await Iraola and his players.
