Slot: I didn't play Salah "to save energy"
Liverpool manager Arne Slot confirmed that he didn't field Egyptian star Mohamed Salah in the loss to Paris Saint-Germain in order to conserve the latter's energy. Slot explained his decision, saying, "In the latter part of the game, it was more about survival for us than scoring. Salah has great quality, but to spend 20 to 25 minutes defending in his own penalty area, I think it's better for him to save his energy for the upcoming matches."The Dutch coach is under pressure as his team sits fifth in the English Premier League and now faces the threat of elimination from Europe's premier club competition unless they can turn the tie around in the second leg next Tuesday.
He explained that his decision to change tactics was primarily due to the attacking threat posed by Paris Saint-Germain's full-backs, Moroccan Achraf Hakimi on the right and Portuguese Nuno Mendes on the left.
He added, "Milos had to play almost as a left winger against Hakimi, with four defenders at the back, so it could almost be interpreted as a 4-3-3 formation. Just imagine what would have happened if we had played with out-and-out wingers against Hakimi and Nuno Mendes."
Liverpool now have to try and bounce back at home against Fulham in the Premier League before the return leg against their French opponents, who will have a weekend off after their Ligue 1 match against title rivals Lens was postponed.
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