Paris Saint Germain v Liverpool A Liverpool Perspective
Tactically, Slot has been brilliant this season, but this time round he got it wrong. Well, if you can call it wrong when you still end up winning! Luckily Alisson was on top form to bail out the team and give Liverpool a platform to snatch that incredible victory. When you talk about ‘getting away with it’, this match is one of the best examples you will ever see.
I do have to mention the officials, who were terrible once again, proving that English officials are not the only ones that have no clue. Though I do wonder why there was such a fuss over the Konate challenge, yes I would not be complaining if it was given as a foul (though it was outside the box), but you see those challenges constantly within a game and they are almost never given as a foul. In fact, I am currently watching AS Roma v Athletic Bilbao and within the opening seconds there was an almost exact replica challenge on a Roma player, though out wide rather than on the edge of the box, and no foul was given. A few minutes later and there was another one as well, again nothing given, this despite every other challenge being given as a foul in Roma’s favour, even though the foul was always by the Roma player who have been allowed to pull jerseys at will.
It is just one of those things that is rarely seen as being enough to give a foul, so it is little wonder the referee was not convinced it was one then. People keep saying Konate got lucky, but on the basis of the games I have watched this season, it would have been unlucky if that was given as a foul, rather than lucky not to get called. There seems to be a change this season, in that a lot more physicality is being allowed from defenders, in terms of pushing and pulling at opposition players. In some respects I like that, I love the physical battle of the game, I would love to see that back, with thundering tackles etc, but that is not what they seem to be allowing. It is the shoves and shirt pulls and rugby tackles at set pieces that are being let go and I am not sure that is good for the game.
Going back to the game itself, that gap in behind Mac Allister, that I have talked about in the past, was being exploited to good effect. That meant everyone else was getting dragged about trying to plug gaps in front of the defence, opening up more avenues to attack. Slot tried to get on top of that but it was not until Endo came on that the gaps finally got plugged. From that moment on, the game was done for the Parisians, as we all know that whenever the Japanese is brought on as a sub, the opposition have failed to score afterwards.
What is most annoying, looking back at the game, was how poor Liverpool were going forward. They had so many chances to attack that were not broken up by PSG, they just messed up simple passes. The front three all combined to have their worst game in years on the same night. Because of that, it meant the midfield had little in the way of opportunity to get forward, as the moves broke down so quickly, but allowed PSG plenty of chances to hit on the counter.
I feel the actual defence, not just Alisson, deserves praise for their defending. Alisson made some truly world class saves, but he will also be the first to agree that those saves were only possible because the defence made sure that the chances were not truly clearcut. It was more about good quality strikes, rather than good, clear chances.
Paris Saint Germain
Luis Enrique has been slowly improving this PSG side over the course of the season, that really showed against LFC. They were right on top of their game, exploited the gaps in midfield really well and were a really good, exciting side to watch. But, and it is such a big but I probably should have put it in all capitals, they still lost after being unable to take advantage of their dominance to score.
They constantly baited Mac Allister into moving forward to press, then attacked the space he left, obviously seeing Robertson’s poor form this season as presenting an opportunity. Their front line interchanged brilliantly and exploited the gaps well, but Liverpool defended solidly and so they were unable to create much in the way of clear cut, ‘have to score’ type of opportunities. Robertson is often liable to lunging in rashly and opening a space on the flank, but he kept his head and stayed on his feet, making it as difficult as possible for Paris to get time and space.
Unlike Liverpool, they also have a defence and, particularly, goalkeeper that are unreliable against top class opponents. There were a few chances for Liverpool to catch them cold, that only broke down because of poor Liverpool play, rather than good defending. Then, of course, there was Donnarumma’s hapless attempt to stop Elliott’s shot. They have always had an excuse for failing to lift the Champions League in the past, blaming it on big egos among the forwards most of the time. For me though, their failures have always been more about that backline. Until they put together a solid defence, in top class football terms rather than Ligue 1 terms, they are going to struggle to get that trophy that they so desire.
Liverpool
Alisson – what can I say about him that has not already been said a million times before online over the last couple of days? He was absolutely brilliant, reaffirming his position as the best in the world and potentially the G.O.A.T. Superb. If I caught him in my bed with my missus, the first thing I would do is to organise a masseuse to come round for afterwards to ensure he did not pick up an injury!
Alexander-Arnold – defended really well but was not as good on the ball. To be fair, I doubt it would have mattered if he had been brilliant with his passes as everything was being wasted by the front three anyway.
Konate – a very solid game against the team he grew up supporting as a kid. Defended well.
van Dijk – he was excellent, organising the back line well, as well as doing his own defensive work. He kept his calm throughout, especially on the ball when he got the chance.
Robertson – his best game of the season, he kept his head and stayed deep, though sometimes a little too deep to hold an offside line, avoiding the rash challenges that have plagued his game this season. He kept compact, not allowing the PSG forwards to draw him forward or too wide, so that there were no gaps in the defence for them to use.
Gravenberch – a decent game, spending it mostly trying to mop up the gaps left by Mac Allister. Never really got enough of the ball to do much, as it was given away so easily by the forwards.
Szoboszlai – he ended up mostly chasing his tail, he would get forward but the ball would be given away and he would then have to race back. With the press being bypassed, he was left isolated.
Mac Allister – had an awful game, he was trying hard to be aggressive and press high, but he was easily bypassed, leaving a huge hole in front of the defence. He really was not at the races at all and allowed himself to be dragged out of position constantly. He did work hard, but he would have been better dropping off and holding station more.
Salah – by far his worst game of the season. Nothing he tried came off at all. Whether it was taking on the full-back one-on-one or putting the ball into the box, he was very poor. It was the first time that his performance was just poor, usually he produces something even on a bad day.
Jota – the wrong game to put a player in place with absolutely no ability to link the play. He was terrible, though he did work hard and tried to help out defensively, he just was unable to help when Liverpool did get the ball. His work rate was exemplary though, he was always willing to chase around trying to win the ball back. It was just not a game for a player like him.
Diaz – another who was awful on the ball and provided nothing going forward. However, he was working very hard and was often the one who would drop back in to cover the gap left by Mac Allister. That probably contributed to his poor performance on the ball, as he was working so hard that he was gassed out constantly when he did receive it. It is much harder to produce quality when you are gasping for breath.
Jones – replaced Diaz in the 67th minute. His arrival helped solidify the defensive platform. His tendency to take a bit longer on the ball helped to give Liverpool players time to gather themselves and offer options and movement.
Nunez – came on for Jota in the 67th minute. His fresh energy and pace helped break PSG’s total dominance, as the defence were forced to sit a bit deeper in order to protect against him running off them. That led to the goal, as he was able to receive the ball much higher up the pitch than Jota, putting Paris on the backfoot for the first time in the match. Once he had won the initial challenge, he then had the composure (surprisingly for a player not known for it) to look for the right pass, rather than the first pass on offer.
Endo – was brought on in the stead of Gravenberch in the 78th minute. It was a move that could probably have been done a lot sooner, once he was on the pitch, Paris struggled to create. I am not convinced they were tired, it is a lot less tiring to have the ball than it is to chase after it, so Liverpool should have been the ones who were leggy. It is more that he has the mindset needed to just defend when needed, where Gravenberch is always looking for a chance to break forward. Endo played much more central than Gravenberch had done and left fewer gaps for the Paris attackers to utilise.
Elliott – took Salah’s place in the 86th minute. He scored the goal with his first touch, nothing else really matters other than that from his performance. When it mattered, he produced.
Written by Tris Burke March 08 2025 07:07:24
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