Carragher: Slot's Tactical Approach Was Woefully Inadequate

According to Jamie Carragher, Arne Slot's tactical decisions were 'massively wrong', and Virgil van Dijk will likely implore him to avoid using a back five again after Liverpool's dismal performance against Paris Saint-Germain. The Reds suffered a 2-0 loss in the Champions League quarter-final first leg, a defeat that could have been even more severe, with Carragher suggesting it could have been 'five or six' goals. Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored for Luis Enrique's side, condemning Liverpool to their 16th defeat of the season. Carragher expressed concern over the vast difference in class between the two teams, stating that it was like watching a team from a lower division. He felt that Liverpool's poor season continued, and the gulf between the two teams was 'startling' considering last season's performance. Slot's decision to switch to a back five in an attempt to contain the French giants backfired due to the use of man-to-man marking, which left Van Dijk exposed alongside the struggling Ibrahima Konate. Carragher believed that the manager's tactics were flawed, and the use of a back five made Liverpool more open than they would have been with a back four. He also felt that Van Dijk, at 34 years old, was uncomfortable in the back three and had to cover a lot of ground, which he couldn't do. Carragher praised Van Dijk's performances this season, despite criticism from others, and attributed his struggles to playing alongside Konate, who has been making mistakes all season. Slot acknowledged that Liverpool were fortunate not to have lost by a bigger margin and agreed that the tie was still alive. He explained that his decision to leave Mohamed Salah as an unused substitute was due to the game being more about surviving than creating chances, and he wanted to save Salah's energy for upcoming games.