Arne Slot got it WRONG against PSG

In the end it came down to penalty kicks. And Paris Saint-Germain’s four takers were more reliable than the three Liverpool sent up.

PSG built an unassailable lead in the shootout as a result of Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones missing their kicks. By the time Desire Doue knocked home PSG’s fourth, Anfield was deflated.

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Penalties are sometimes incorrectly described as a lottery. Not so. They are a test of technique and nerve under pressure. Liverpool failed on both counts.

Credit where it’s due. Arne Slot has been outstanding in his first season as Liverpool head coach but across two legs against PSG he has been left with questions to answer.

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There is little doubt the French champions were the better team over two legs; they put up an expected goals total of 4.41 versus Liverpool’s 1.86 xG over the matches according to SofaScore.

Their front three interconnected well, ran the Reds’ ragged, slipped one another in with sumptuous through balls. Their midfield stayed on top for the most part. They rotated the ball, kept control of the tie.

And they probably had the outstanding individual over both legs too in Nuno Mendes.

Jota ineffective yet again

And yes had he not blocked Salah’s goal-bound effort early on at Anfield it could have been a very different story. But it spoke volumes that while the young Portugal full-back had Salah locked up, Slot was unable to get attacking benefits from anyone else.

Surely he’s not just allowing them to give the ball to Mo and hope for the best?

Liverpool got out of jail in Paris courtesy of a 1-0 win and failed to drive home the advantage at home. And sorry to say but some of the blame ends up at Slot’s door.

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The uneven squad balance means the Dutchman has little option but to conduct minimal rotations across matches. But there are a few players who look completely spent as a result of their season-long exertions.

Slot has been unwilling - or unable - to keep his players fresh at a crucial point in the season. Contrast his situation with Luis Enrique, who had more or less given his preferred XI the weekend off ahead of this one.

Then there were selection issues on the night.

Why remove Alexis and Dom?

Diogo Jota hasn’t scored a Champions League goal for FOUR years and he persisted with him as a starter twice in two legs. It wasn’t working last night either but it took Slot until the 73rd minute to correct things.

Darwin Nunez is a troublemaker for opposition defences - as proven in the first leg - and should have been given longer to make an impact.

Then there were the substitutions heading towards penalties.

By withdrawing Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai - both regular penalty-takers, Slot actually diminished his options as the game headed to spot kicks. That is poor decision-making.

Another first-half deficit

The usage of Cody Gakpo was also questionable. Was he even fit? Because he didn’t look it. And surely as Liverpool’s only other penalty-taker this season, you send him up to score?

Curtis Jones didn’t impact the game from the bench; consider what Liverpool target Warren Zaire-Emery did for PSG when he came on as a counterpoint. Maybe that was the time for Harvey Elliott to come on and orchestrate things.

And again, Liverpool were left to contemplate a first-half deficit. “Second Half FC” has become a bit of a joke under Slot, where the Reds have to set about a second-half rescue act, but they could ill afford to do that here.

Fact is, this tie was there for the taking having kept PSG scoreless in the Parc des Princes and heading into an Anfield second leg. They couldn’t have asked for a better platform.

The head coach has got to learn from these errors and ensure he carries out second legs with a ruthless efficiency rather than surrendering the advantage.

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