An examination of Arne Slot's post-match press conference following Liverpool's Champions League exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain reveals the manager's concerns about his team's inability to capitalize on scoring opportunities. Despite creating 1.92 Expected Goals, Liverpool failed to find the back of the net, a trend that has persisted throughout the season.
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 disparity among quarterfinalists. However, their Premier League performance tells a different story, with the team's goal tally only 0.65 below their xG total.
While this is not ideal, nine teams have a worse differential. The missed big chances are a significant concern for Slot.
Against PSG, there were two such instances, and only Aston Villa have 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 Curtis Jones, Florian Wirtz, and Alexis Mac Allister underperforming their individual xG totals.
Injuries have also hindered the team, with Alexander Isak struggling to recover from a broken leg and other key players like Hugo Ekitike and Alisson missing game time due to injuries. Slot's plan to field a new-look £320m attack has been disrupted, and he has not had the opportunity to use his top players together often enough. The manager has also expressed frustration with the officials, citing several instances where decisions have gone against his team. The overturning of a penalty awarded to Mac Allister on Tuesday was the latest example.
Slot noted that this was not an isolated incident, referencing previous controversial calls against his team. With Liverpool facing a trophyless season, the pressure is on Slot to secure a top-five finish and a Champions League spot for next season.
Despite the challenges, he remains optimistic about the team's future, given the quality of young players they have brought in. The likes of Ryan Gravenberch, Ekitike, Wirtz, and Milos Kerkez have their best years ahead of them, and the potential of 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha is promising. However, Slot and Liverpool need results in the final six games of the Premier League campaign to capitalize on that potential next season as a Champions League club.