Following Liverpool's Champions League elimination by Paris St-Germain, we examine Arne Slot's post-match comments to determine if his reasoning for the team's struggles this season is justified. Slot has consistently lamented Liverpool's inability to capitalize on scoring opportunities, and this trend continued against PSG, with the team registering 1.92 Expected Goals (xG) without finding the net.
"Unfortunately, this is one of many instances this season where we failed to score from numerous chances," Slot said. "Again, we underperformed in terms of xG, a recurring issue throughout the 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 xG conversion rate is less concerning, with the team's goal total only 0.65 below their xG total.
The team's struggles with big chances are more alarming, with Liverpool missing 59 of 86 clear-cut openings in the top flight. Players like Curtis Jones, Florian Wirtz, and Alexis Mac Allister have underperformed their individual xG totals, while Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk have been particularly wasteful in front of goal. The team's injury woes have also been a significant factor, with Alexander Isak's £125m signing from Newcastle hindered by injuries, including a broken leg that sidelined him in December.
Slot's plan to field a new-look £320m attack featuring Isak, Wirtz, and Hugo Ekitike has been disrupted by injuries, with Ekitike's worrying injury against PSG adding to the team's frustration. The Dutchman pointed out that he hasn't had the opportunity to use these three players together often enough, 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." Slot also expressed his disappointment with the frequency of decisions made by officials going against his team, citing the overturned penalty against PSG as another example. He referenced previous incidents, including a Brentford penalty awarded after a VAR check and a Leeds penalty awarded after the referee consulted the monitor. Slot noted that Liverpool were fortunate with a couple of decisions in Paris in the first leg but believes that the officials' decisions have consistently gone against his team. With Liverpool facing a trophyless season, the pressure is on Slot to secure a top-five finish in the league and guarantee a Champions League spot for next season.
Despite this, the Dutchman remains optimistic about the team's future, given the quality of young players they have brought in. "The future looks very bright for this team, because we've shown that we can compete with the champions of Europe in our stadium, to be the dominant team," he said. Players like Ryan Gravenberch, Ekitike, Wirtz, Bradley, and Milos Kerkez have their best years ahead of them, while 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha holds plenty of promise.
However, Slot and Liverpool need results in the final six games of this Premier League campaign to capitalize on that potential next season as a Champions League club.