Arne Slot Grateful for Remaining in Contention as Liverpool Adopted ‘Survival Mode’

“Paris Saint-Germain clearly had the upper hand today and could have easily scored more than the two goals they managed, but I was pleased to see the Liverpool players exhibit fighting spirit and keep pushing forward,” Slot remarked after his team’s 2-0 defeat in the French capital.

Desire Doue opened the scoring for PSG with a deflected effort, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia netted the second goal after the hour mark. The match saw the hosts dominate possession with 70 per cent and register 18 attempts on goal, compared to Liverpool’s meagre three.

“Of course, there’s a sense that we can perform better, but we were mostly in survival mode throughout significant stretches of the match, and perhaps that’s reflective of our current scenario in the season,” Slot said, with his side having won just one of their last six outings.

“It’s incredibly challenging against a team like this. PSG was superior, but we didn’t throw in the towel, which is why we still have a chance in this tie. Now, we’ll be bringing it back to Anfield, but first, we have an important Premier League match against Fulham to tackle.”

Slot opted for Joe Gomez as a third central defender alongside Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk. Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah remained on the bench and did not see any action – in contrast to Alexander Isak, who made a late appearance in his first match back since December following injury.

Salah ‘preserving his energy’

“In the final stages of the match, it was more about us holding on rather than attempting to score,” Slot explained when asked about not deploying the Egyptian off the bench.

“Mo has incredible quality, but having him spend 20 to 25 minutes defending in his own box seems less productive. It’s wiser for him to conserve his energy given the tough schedule ahead.”

The Dutchman faces increasing scrutiny with his squad currently fifth in the Premier League and facing a genuine risk of elimination from European competition unless they can turn the tie around next Tuesday.

He justified the tactical shift largely due to the attacking threat posed by PSG’s full-backs, Achraf Hakimi on the right and Nuno Mendes on the left.

“Milos (Kerkez) had to play almost like a left-winger facing Hakimi, which meant we were effectively playing with four defenders, so you could characterise it as a 4-3-3,” he noted.

“Just imagine the repercussions if we had deployed genuine wingers against Hakimi and Nuno Mendes.“

Liverpool is now tasked with bouncing back at home against Fulham in the Premier League ahead of their return clash with PSG, who will enjoy a weekend off following the postponement of their Ligue 1 match against title rivals Lens.

“I believe we performed quite well against a top-tier side. They adjusted their system, but we’re accustomed to that, as teams tend to alter their tactics when facing us,” stated PSG coach Luis Enrique.

“It’s unfortunate because we created numerous opportunities in the second half and could have increased our goal tally.“

PSG eliminated Liverpool in the Round of 16 last season, progressing through a penalty shoot-out at Anfield.

“I’ve played and coached at Anfield many times, and it’s always a tough challenge. Our mentality remains consistent; we approach every match intending to win, regardless of the location,” concluded Luis Enrique.