Following Liverpool's Champions League elimination at the hands of Paris St-Germain, manager Arne Slot expressed his frustration in the post-match press conference, citing missed opportunities, injuries, and VAR decisions as key factors. This season, Slot has repeatedly emphasized the team's lack of clinical finishing, and the match against PSG was no exception, with Liverpool creating 1.92 Expected Goals but failing to score.
Slot stated, "Unfortunately, it's one of the many examples of this season where we weren't able to score from the many chances we had. Again, we were so far underperforming in terms of xG, and that is just an ongoing thing with us throughout the whole season." Liverpool's xG conversion rate in the Champions League has been underwhelming, with the team scoring 24 goals from 27.8xG, the largest underperformance among quarter-finalists. However, their Premier League performance tells a slightly different story, with the team's goals total being just 0.65 below their xG total. The issue of missed big chances persists, with Liverpool having the second-worst conversion rate of Opta-defined big chances in the Premier League this season, with only Aston Villa faring worse.
The team has missed 59 of 86 clear-cut openings in the top flight, with players like Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk being particularly wasteful in front of goal. Injuries have also taken a toll on the team, with new signing Alexander Isak struggling with fitness issues, including a broken leg that sidelined him in December.
The plan to field a new-look £320m attack featuring Isak, Florian Wirtz, and Hugo Ekitike has been hindered by injuries, with the trio having played together for only 88 minutes before Tuesday's match. Slot expressed his disappointment, saying, "For 88 minutes [before Tuesday] we have played with Florian [Wirtz], Alex, and Hugo. We added about 27 to that [on Tuesday], and I would be surprised if we add more minutes to that this season." The team has also been affected by other injuries, including first-choice keeper Alisson's hamstring problems, Conor Bradley's knee surgery, and Giovanni Leoni's ACL injury, which has put a strain on centre-back depth.
Furthermore, Slot has been critical of the officials' decisions, citing the frequency with which VAR has intervened against his side. The overturning of a penalty awarded to Mac Allister on Tuesday was the latest example, with Slot stating, "...another intervention of the VAR which was not in our favour, and that is not for the first time this season." Despite the setbacks, Slot remains optimistic about the team's future, highlighting the quality of young players like Ryan Gravenberch, Ekitike, Wirtz, and Milos Kerkez, as well as the potential of 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha.
However, the pressure is on Slot to secure a top-five finish in the league and guarantee a Champions League place for next season.