Liverpool travel to Paris on Wednesday and head coach Arne Slott will need to find answers to a number of questions if they are to survive a disappointing season.
Lott’s team will face Paris Saint-Germain in a tough Champions League quarter-final. They were crowned European champions for the first time about 12 months after losing to the Parisians on penalties in the last 16 stage.
A lot has changed for the Reds during that time. This time last year, Slott was on the verge of being crowned Premier League champions in his debut season in charge at Anfield.
I missed the fighting spirit (and not only), but the drive to win duels, to be there first and to make passes and crosses and finishes difficult. That’s something we definitely have to improve on Wednesday.
Liverpool manager Arne Slott talks about the loss to Man City
In fact, just a year ago Liverpool ended a 26-game unbeaten run in the league against Fulham, their second defeat in the top flight this season and eight fewer than they suffered in their disastrous title defense so far this season.
Saturday’s meek surrender in the FA Cup quarter-final against Man City was the club’s 15th defeat in all competitions this season, the most they have suffered in a single season since 2014-15, when they lost 18 under Brendan Rodgers.
Saturday, April 11th 5pm
5:30pm kickoff
This leaves Liverpool’s only chance to salvage their season in the Champions League, but the following recurring issues need to be resolved if the team is to have any chance of eliminating Holder in a high-pressure slot.
Where has Klopp’s mental monster gone?
This season, there have been too many instances where the players’ heads have lowered at the slightest sign of adversity. As we saw at the Etihad on Saturday lunchtime, after a bright opening half-hour, the visitors found themselves trailing 4-0 just 12 minutes into the second half.
Worryingly, captain Virgil van Dijk admitted his team-mates had “given up” against City, while Slott said after the game: “In the first 10 minutes after half-time, we clearly lost our fighting spirit.”
“But in those 10 to 15 minutes, I missed not only the fighting spirit, but the drive to win duels, to be there first and to make it difficult for passes and crosses and finishes.
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The Sunday Supplement panel will discuss Liverpool’s 4-0 FA Cup defeat to Manchester City and what the future holds for Arne Slott if the Reds continue to struggle.
“That’s something we definitely have to improve on Wednesday.”
Dominik Szoboszlai agreed: “You have to fight, work hard and be there for each other. That’s what we lack sometimes.”
If last season’s encounter in Paris and the recent visit of Chelsea, where they conceded two late goals, are any guide, Slott and his players will no doubt face a number of difficult moments on Wednesday night.
How they react to an early goal at the Parc des Princes cauldron, for example, will be crucial to their overall chances, as heads won’t fall all at once like they did at the weekend.
Van Dijk must stand up
One thing we know for sure is that Liverpool simply cannot defend their performance against Man City if they want to avoid a similar disaster on Wednesday night.
Slott is almost certain to use the same back four in Paris as he did in Manchester, but the only possible change would be for Jeremy Frimpong to start in place of Joe Gomez at right-back.
But rather than personnel, Van Dijk and the Dutchman’s selections – and to be fair, he has few options at the back – need to do a better job.
Virgil van Dijk (right) endured a hot afternoon during Liverpool’s 4-0 loss to Man City on Saturday.
The captain, who turns 35 in July, has come under scrutiny for the first time in his Anfield career this season, but never more so than after his error-filled display against City. The center back’s clumsy penalty penalty gave them the impetus to score four goals in just over 15 minutes either side of halftime.
Van Dijk then failed to follow Antoine Semenyo’s attempt to score the home side’s third goal at the start of the second half, and was unable to stop Erling Haaland from completing his hat-trick.
“We’ve got to play better on defense,” Slott analyzed in full time on Saturday, and hopes the backline has learned its lessons ahead of what is sure to be a similar test this week.
Be more clinical in front of the goal
Liverpool have no chance of pulling off an upset on Wednesday if their forwards continue to misfire in front of goal, as they have for much of this season.
Saturday’s result could have been no different, but the Reds were held scoreless and took advantage of a number of great openings. Mohamed Salah, in particular, kept missing penalties in the second half even though the match was already over.
It was the forward’s second missed penalty in a row, after saving a penalty against Galatasaray, and is emblematic of his and the team’s attacking struggles all season.
Mohamed Salah reacts after missing penalty against Manchester City
“I just wish we could score once in a while from the chances we created,” Slott lamented on Saturday.
“I think this is the second time he’s missed (a penalty) and he’s also missed Dominik Szoboszlai. Not only are we missing big chances, we’ve also missed some penalties this season.”
“Mo had a very good chance in the first half when we launched a quick counter-attack. Unfortunately the ball didn’t go in, but that’s football. If you want a chance to win, you have to score.”
In stark contrast, the slot strikers have been shaky on the line for much of the campaign, while opponents only need to arrive inside their team’s box to score, and often seem to need to score on their first attempt on goal.
“Once again we played a team that was a mile above our xG. It happens all the time and we’ve been below it every time,” the Reds manager added indignantly.
Salah has to play in Paris, but is it the right decision?
As mentioned earlier, Salah had another tough afternoon at the Etihad for the Egyptian, who played his first match after announcing he would be leaving the club at the end of the season.
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Liverpool head coach Arne Slott has further praised Mohamed Salah, who announced that he will be leaving the club at the end of this season.
But the decision has left Slott in a tight spot, with Liverpool’s intrusion now threatening to become a farewell tour for Salah that the Reds legend will have to take part in.
If Salah does not leave this summer, there is a good chance that Slott will start him off the bench in the away game in the French capital and start him at Frimpong instead, with the 33-year-old returning for Tuesday’s second leg at Anfield.
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Let’s take a look at some of Mohamed Salah’s outrageous statistics from his time at Liverpool that you may not be aware of.
However, that scenario is highly unlikely to materialise, meaning the player who starts at right-back on Wednesday will have little, if any, protection for Salah and will have to contend with the dual threats of Nuno Mendes and Juvica Kvaratschelia.
Do Liverpool have what it takes to challenge the European champions?
Slott and his players know exactly what they will face under the Paris lights on Wednesday. Because this time last year, we faced the exact same challenge when we managed to win the first leg 1-0 thanks to a great performance from Alisson Becker.
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Arne Slott answers some tough questions after Liverpool’s 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup.
Luis Enrique’s energetic and technically accomplished outfit, as is their trademark at home in Europe, tore apart their opponents right from kick-off that night, holding onto the ball for the majority of the match and tiring their opponents in the process.
As seen for much of the second half of Saturday’s game against the Etihad, they are exactly the type of team that has caused Liverpool so many problems this season, and will be a major worry for Slott and his coaching staff as they prepare for their return to the French capital.
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Watch for free: Highlights of the Premier League match between Brighton and Liverpool.
Unlike against City, the visiting side will need more legs in midfield, but their pressing game will also have to be perfect, with Sky Sports’ Adam Bate pointing out that “while the forwards were pushing up high, the defense would drop back, leaving spaces that this Liverpool side didn’t have the legs to deal with.”
“Dominik Szoboszlai’s solo pursuit of shadows is a hallmark of this campaign.”
Liverpool and Slott will hope they don’t chase too much on Wednesday.
