An examination of Arne Slot's post-match press conference after Liverpool's Champions League elimination by Paris St-Germain reveals the Dutch manager's concerns about his team's lack of clinical finishing and the impact of injuries and VAR decisions on their season. Despite creating 1.92 Expected Goals against the European champions, Liverpool failed to score, exemplifying their struggles with converting chances into goals.
Slot lamented, 'Unfortunately, it's one of the many examples of this season where we weren't able to score from the many chances we had.' Liverpool's underperformance in the Champions League is evident, with the team scoring 24 goals from 27.8xG, the largest shortfall among quarter-finalists. However, their Premier League record shows a smaller disparity between goals scored and xG. The team's inability to capitalize on big chances has been particularly costly, with only Aston Villa having a worse conversion rate of Opta-defined big chances in the Premier League. Liverpool have missed 59 of 86 clear-cut openings, with players like Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk failing to convert significant chances.
The absence of key players due to injuries, including Alexander Isak, has further exacerbated the issue. Slot's plan to field a new-look attack featuring Isak, Florian Wirtz, and Hugo Ekitike has been disrupted by injuries, with the trio having played together for only a limited time.
The manager expressed frustration with the officials, citing several instances where decisions have gone against his team, including a controversial VAR call in the match against PSG. Despite these challenges, Slot remains optimistic about the team's future, given the quality of young players like Ryan Gravenberch, Ekitike, and Wirtz.
To capitalize on this potential, Liverpool needs to secure a top-five finish in the league and qualify for the Champions League next season.