Slot leaves Carragher ‘flabbergasted’ with his actions in Liverpool’s PSG loss | Football | Sport

Jamie Carragher was left utterly stunned by Arne Slot‘s choice to start an undercooked Alexander Isak instead of Mohamed Salah for Liverpool‘s crucial Champions League quarter-final clash against Paris Saint-Germain. Isak, who hadn’t featured from the start since December, was selected ahead of Salah with the Reds trailing 2-0 on aggregate following a dismal first leg defeat in France.

Liverpool ultimately fell to defeat by the same scoreline at Anfield, and Slot appeared to concede his error when he substituted Isak at the interval. Salah entered the fray in the first half after Hugo Ekitike sustained what appeared to be a serious injury. Prior to the second leg, Carragher confessed he couldn’t ‘believe’ Slot’s choice to drop Salah, who recently confirmed this would be his final campaign at Anfield. The Liverpool icon said on CBS Sports: “I can’t believe it, that he [Salah] is not playing. I can’t understand why.

“The manager will have his reasons, but Isak is nowhere near fit. Mo Salah didn’t play in the first leg, so he’s not like some of the players who played last week and then played at the weekend in the Premier League.”

“He played in the Premier League, he scored a goal, he’s still one of Liverpool’s, probably Liverpool’s best goalscorer. He’s used to this system; Isak’s never really played with Ekitike before.

“Now, I don’t think Arne Slot‘s the type of manager who would almost be thinking: ‘I remember what you did to me a few months ago when you called me out publicly.’

“Certain managers in the past, I can think of maybe Alex Ferguson… I don’t think Arne Slot would, but is it because he’s already announced he’s leaving? And it’s something like, ‘I’m almost going with the players who are going to be here in the next year.’

“I don’t know, it’s the only thing I can think of, but even that doesn’t make sense, because it’s about the here and now, so I’m flabbergasted Mo Salah’s not playing.”

Slot justified his choice to drop Salah by explaining that he wanted two forwards whom Liverpool could ‘play into’ while pursuing two goals. The Reds manager also stood by his decision to select Isak, declaring after the match: “I think he was ready and if I thought he wasn’t ready, then I wouldn’t have played him.”

The goals failed to materialise, however, and his team will conclude the campaign empty-handed. Liverpool’s attention will now turn exclusively towards securing next season’s Champions League qualification, beginning with a Merseyside derby on Sunday. It will mark their maiden visit to Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Despite being eliminated by PSG for the second consecutive year, Carragher drew encouragement from Liverpool’s considerably enhanced display. “PSG are a far better team than Liverpool right now, we’ve seen that over the last two years,” he added.

“But I can accept what I saw tonight in that I saw a performance, certainly in the second half, that’s what I expect from Liverpool in a European game at home. If the opposition are better than you, fair enough.

“But there was an intensity to the play, certainly in that first 25 minutes and the start of the second half. We haven’t seen that a lot all season and that always has to be the style of football Liverpool play, no matter who the players are, no matter who the manager is.”