Liverpool was drawn from the pillar to the post on Wednesday evening, but inexplicably came out against Paris Saint-Germain.
The first stage of her last 16 battle could hardly have been one -sided, with PSG dominated the competition against its surprisingly fatal visitors. Liverpool could not cope with the speed and intensity of her hosts and rely on happiness rather than on skills.
But Lady Luck shone on Arne Slot and his players when they had won the victory in view of the relentless pressure. Harvey Elliott got out of the bank to offer the red before the second leg a decisive advantage the next Tuesday.
You have placed one foot in the quarter -finals, but a similar display at Anfield could achieve a less rosy result. The draw is still far from being won, and Liverpool has to make significant improvements if you have to book your berth in the last eight o’clock.
Here are three changes that have to make the red for the back leg.
Before the encounter on Wednesday, Luis Enrique made his ambitions clear: “Liverpool can create danger without the ball. Maybe you don’t need the ball as much as we do. We will try to keep our game through possession.”
The Spaniard was right. PSG ended on Wednesday evening with 70% possession and quickly changed from Lento To allegro if the opportunity was. Enrique greeted Liverpool’s “three fighter plane jets” before the kick-off, but it was his striker triumvirate that caused the slaughter, with the midfield of the French team and the defense to serve as much as possible.
The inability of Liverpool to maintain possession was an essential problem in Paris. They followed a more direct approach to avoid PSGS High Press, but instead the ball quickly gave back their grateful hosts. That has to change in Anfield.
One would expect that Liverpool, of course, earn more of the territory in the second leg in front of the domestic quantity, but with an entrepreneur advantage you can afford to be in possession more and to remove the procedures in heated moments from the process.
Liverpool must better manage the ball if you avoid a comeback in the second leg, whereby your technicians have to step on the plate on the field.
Slot’s substitutions have had a significant impact in the French capital. Of course, Elliott will steal the headlines when he made the crucial strike with one of only three touches, but Liverpools other mid-game participants had an impact.
Wataru Endo came into the equation with a little more than ten minutes and produced a typical performance of Wataru Endo when he fought tirelessly against his defense. But the previous arrival of Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones had already contributed Liverpool to limit the PSG anthrm.
Jones arrived instead of Luis Diaz and Andy Robertson quickly offered an urgently needed defense support against the exchanging Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The midfielder helped stabilize the river after left Liverpool’s left.
Nunez not only offered the support of Elliott’s last efforts, but also offered Liverpool a willing runner behind the High Line from PSG. He only enjoyed 12 touches, but concerned Marquinhos and Willian Pacho with his direct approach and offered them a harder journey than against the unusually wasteful Diogo Jota.
While Liverpool hopes to enjoy greater possession in Angeld, Jones and Nunez could still show intelligent introductions – especially the former in view of the immense threat of PSG.
During Liverpool’s trophy history, the European nights in Anfield wrote many legends in continental competitions, whereby the reds have to rely on this tradition against PSG. The first leg was suffering, the second is the time to shine.
A rough quantity of ANFELD will welcome Liverpool the next Tuesday and the leaders of the Premier League have to use the power of their 12th husband.
In view of adversity, the red withdrew against PSG and did not correspond to the intensity of their hosts. They fell into a low defensive block and fought to implement their pressing games in the first ten minutes.
Liverpool must speed up the pace next week if it is not on the ball and feeds the buzzing of the home support. You have to force PSG into errors high up, hunt and avoid loose balls, simply lean back and watch the pretty patterns in front of them. If not, they could get into trouble.