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Premier League news conferences taking place before the top flight returns on Friday with West Ham v Wolves A win for West Ham will see them climb out of the relegation zone at the expense of Tottenham who face Sunderland on Sunday Wolves boss Rob Edwards, Burnley's Scott Parker, Leeds' Daniel Farke and Fulham's Marco Silva all speaking Edwards: 'Every team will look at Wolves and think 'that's a game we have to win'. That's the situation we're in, the next three games will be the same. ' Team news: Johnstone and Doherty out | Burnley latest ICYMI: Reaction to Liverpool's defeat to PSG plus our polls on Slot, Salah and the tie Written by Craig Nelson, Flora Snelson & Tasnim Chowdhury. PSG 2-0 Liverpool PSG "I know Arne Slot is a great coach, " said Paris St-Germain head coach Luis Enrique on TNT Sports. "It’s the first time that they have played with five at the back. "But we are used to watching other teams change their formation to play against us, it’s normal. "I think they played a great match, physically they are very strong. A lot of quality players, individual quality players and it was a very nice match. "It’s always a pleasure playing against Arne Slot and his teams because they try to play football in an offensive way and it was nice to watch. " Liverpool manager Arne Slot has come in for some criticism this morning, but he has found an ally in Paris St-Germain boss Luis Enrique, who said it was "always a pleasure" to play against him, adding that the Dutchman is a "great coach". .. If you're just joining us now, here's what you've missed so far as we react to Liverpool's Champions League quarter-final first leg defeat by Paris St Germain: PSG 2-0 Liverpool Julien Laurens ESPN journalist on the Football Daily podcast I have to say, I am struggling to see [Arne Slot] on the bench next season. I just think this season has been disappointing. I know it's not just on him, I know there was the injuries, the arrivals, the money spent on the new signings. Too often this season, they have not been good enough and that's on him. They should have been much better. This is not good enough at this level. Click 'Get Involved' to have your say As a Nufc fan it's curious seeing how much PSG are being talked up. We played 5 at the back, nullified them all game and really should have won in Paris. The difference to me is this Liverpool are not fighting for each other or the fans. Jake For any Newcastle fans who want Howe out of a job, just look at how much better he set Newcastle up at PSG than Slot did Liverpool - be careful what you wish for! Jimmy PSG 2-0 Liverpool Paul Robinson Former England goalkeeper on the Football Daily podcast It was a defensive set-up, that's what it was. It was coming away to get a result in the Champions League and it was damage limitation from the outset. They [Liverpool] offered very little to nothing going forward in the game, but you could see the structure they were in. The shape was something that clearly was well-drilled. Once they lost possession, we get back in this defensive shape, we try and protect the wide areas. As the game went on, the quality just showed from PSG. Regardless of what shape Liverpool were in, they were getting torn apart all over the pitch in the second half. Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson echoes some of those sentiments on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. .. Select the 'Get Involved' button to have your say Slot lost my backing since the home League Cup defeat to Crystal Palace (0-3) and his subsequent stubborn approach to team tactics. He is so detached from the fanbase. Five months I have wanted him gone, five months of putting myself through this poor excuse for football. Phil, Kop regular Crazy to think that some fans feel Liverpool still have a chance at Anfield. Wake up and smell the coffee please. We have been so poor all season and a manager who is totally out of his depth. Remember Ten Hag, Slot is no better. James Watching Liverpool last night was like watching a team that was paralysed with fear. Clearly, Liverpool went to Paris to keep the score down. They were lucky not to get hammered. When have you ever seen a Liverpool team travel away in Europe and have zero shots on target. Clueless. Dermot Out of the FA Cup. Hanging by a thread in the Champions League. Premier League top-five chances in the balance. It's not exactly been the best season for Arne Slot and Liverpool, but can he turn them back into a force or is it time to move on? This Riddle post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. This Riddle post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. Click 'Get Involved' to have your say PSG are a great side but I do believe that Slot showed them to much respect. As our season fizzles out, so does Slot's tenure at Anfield. I don’t think he will be at the club next season. Also, too many players' minds on the World Cup. Drew PSG 2-0 Liverpool Julien Laurens rightly points out that Liverpool must regroup for the second leg against Paris St-Germain on Tuesday. Defeat would leave Liverpool with no silverware left to play for. Their FA Cup campaign ended spectacularly with a 4-0 defeat by Manchester City at the weekend. In October, they bowed out of the League Cup, knocked out by Crystal Palace. League-wise, qualification for next season's Champions League is entirely in their own hands. Liverpool hold a one-point lead over fifth-placed Chelsea - but there are a host of teams queuing up behind the Blues to pounce on any slip-ups, with a difference of just seven points to 13th-placed Bournemouth. Of course, the most triumphant way for the Reds to guarantee their place in next year's competition would be to make good on Opta's 2% Champions League forecast. .. PSG 2-0 Liverpool Julien Laurens ESPN journalist on BBC Radio 5 Live They should have lost four or five nil. The reading of the stats is embarrassing from a Liverpool point of view. That was probably one of the worst nights of Arne Slot's tenure, I think. This PSG team, now that they're back to their best, all of the movement and rotation that they have is so impressive - and if you try to man mark, you will put Virgil van Dijk out of position, Konate out of position, Gomez, your full backs - everybody. I don't understand how Slot thought this was a good idea. Since that defeat [against PSG last season], that's when you can note the difference in the way Liverpool play. I think they've only won 21 of the 49 games since. It's been really poor collectively, individually. Van Dijk - amongst others, not just him - I thought he was in disarray, yesterday. It was too quick for him, too much movement, too much everything. It's sad to see. They've got six days to turn it around, I don't know if they can. But they will have to play much better than they did yesterday. PSG 2-0 Liverpool Charlie Adam Former Liverpool midfielder on the Football Daily podcast We can dissect it and realise that PSG are just a very top team in Europe. I don't think it changes the dial. I think it is a performance thing, they've gone away to Paris, who dominated the game. This is a very good PSG team, champions of Europe, it's a tough place to go. We've been outdone, we've been outclassed, but we've managed it 2-0. There's real clarity in what Luis Enrique wants as a coach. At this moment, with this Liverpool team, I don't know if they know their jobs. They go man-for-man, they're all over the pitch, they're being killed on transitions so many times this year. If you don't do the hard yards, if you don't match the runs from behind, it becomes hard. PSG 2-0 Liverpool Paul Robinson Former England goalkeeper on the Football Daily podcast That was our best against their best, that was our champions against their champions and our champions weren't anywhere near. Obviously, they're [Liverpool] not on a good run of form, the confidence is very low. They're a team that are creaking. Hence, the reason [Arne Slot] played the back five. As soon as you play the back five, it sends the wrong signals out. That's not playing to Liverpool's strength, that's defending their weaknesses, defending against what attacking problems the oppositions are going to give you. They were so submissive, by just playing that formation, but then throughout the whole game, you look at the possession stats, there was nothing good about that Liverpool performance. PSG 2-0 Liverpool Umir Irfan Football tactics correspondent Virgil van Dijk is fixated on Dembele as he moves into midfield, calling for midfielder Alexis Mac Allister to be aware of him. In the meantime, PSG create the chance that leads to their second goal. As the game progressed, Paris St-Germain were able to establish dominance in Liverpool's third. With Liverpool firmly in a back five at this point, the PSG attackers cleverly used unorthodox movements that made the game difficult for Virgil van Dijk. PSG's fluid attackers either dropped deep or moved to one side of the pitch, creating overloads around Liverpool's midfield. Following the match, the Liverpool captain highlighted PSG's movement, saying: "It's what they do, isn't it? They move around everywhere and we have to communicate well and follow our man. And take the risk in that sense. " Konate did track his winger everywhere - which explains why he was seen defending on the right flank at times. Van Dijk largely stayed in the middle of the defence, venturing out less often than his defensive partner. The free-roaming Ousmane Dembele didn't engage much with Van Dijk and was often seen on the left side of the pitch, leaving the Dutch defender without an attacker to pick up. In the build-up to PSG's second goal, Dembele left the attacking line and picked up an unusual position in central midfield. Van Dijk moved over slightly before gesturing to Alexis Mac Allister to pick him up. While this occupied Van Dijk, PSG created a chance that led to their second goal, scored by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Select the 'Get Involved' button to have your say Slot is out of a job. He’s like a dead man walking, no support from his so called “superstars”, they’ve lost the plot, totally, Mick With the huge caveat that PSG are a very, very good side, for LFC to be so outclassed in every single aspect of that game should be a major concern. A team in significant decline, sadly. Glyn Liverpool as a whole looked apathetic, like they're simply going through the motions. It's clear there's been too much new blood in the wrong positions. Add to that the injuries and players soon leaving, it'd take a certain type of manager to navigate. Slot's not that manager. Harry PSG 2-0 Liverpool Julien Laurens ESPN journalist on BBC Radio 5 Live at Parc des Princes The issue I have with the back five is that Liverpool didn't come here to play football. That's not what they came for. This is not Liverpool. I don't really care if you are in good form or not, if you still have good players to play better that what we saw. Three shots in 90 minutes, the three they had, all on the edge of the box, that's all. They just did nothing. You can play the back five as long as you come to play football. Not just park the bus. When you've never done that in the two years you've been here and suddenly you do. They've not even done it in training. PSG 2-0 Liverpool Umir Irfan Football tactics correspondent On the night, Liverpool's centre-backs were tasked with backing up the press when the players ahead of the ball applied pressure. Ibrahima Konate, on the right, carried out these instructions throughout the game in support of Jeremie Frimpong - but the distances he ended up having to cover in an unfamiliar role left him exposed. If he was slow to react, PSG would drop an attacker deep, who could then get on the ball, turn and drive at the defence, with space between him and an out-of-position Konate. At times, Liverpool executed the press well, with their front three blocking PSG's makeshift back three - before Frimpong jumped up to press whichever home player had rotated to the left side of defence. PSG, however, adapted to this. The players in full-back areas took up deeper positions, increasing the distance Liverpool's wing-backs had to cover when pressing. When Frimpong did press, it was Konate's job to follow his man. But with time on the ball, PSG began to play over the top, taking advantage of the spaces behind Konate, forcing 34-year-old Virgil van Dijk across from the centre. A good example of this early on was seen in Hakimi's run from right-back to the left wing. Milos Kerkez, a natural left-back, tasked with marking him, likely felt uncomfortable moving to the other side of the pitch before Mendes played a long ball over Konate to find Hakimi unmarked. Select the 'Get Involved' button to have your say Completely agree with Mr. Atkinson, we set up & played for the moment we find ourselves in and were indeed fortunate BUT crucially we are still in this (and we turned over a 3-0 1st leg defeat to all mighty Barca not long ago so. .. ) Paul If Liverpool can score first next week at Anfield, something special could happen, special things and comebacks have happened before at Anfield. Callum PSG 2-0 Liverpool Umir Irfan Football tactics correspondent Achraf Hakimi pins Milos Kerkez in the middle of the pitch. Ousmane Dembele has moved from a striker position to the right wing before dropping deep to get the ball unmarked. Joe Gomez is forced to come out into an unnatural position. Paris St-Germain had 74% of the ball and 18 shots to Liverpool's three. These stats are damning but Liverpool didn't set up to defend their own box for 90 minutes, despite starting with a back five. Out of possession, they looked to press high - albeit without much success. Hugo Ekitike, Dominik Szoboszlai and Florian Wirtz formed a narrow line between PSG's defence and midfield. PSG dropped one of their midfielders back, forming a makeshift back three with the two central defenders. Liverpool's front three went man-to-man with these three players. Behind them were the remaining two PSG midfielders, who were marked by Liverpool's midfield duo. Liverpool's wing-backs were tasked with marking Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes. PSG rotated impressively to find players unmarked. Full-backs Hakimi and Mendes both pushed high up the pitch, pinning back Liverpool's wing-backs. This prevented Liverpool having any presence in wide areas when they pressed. With Liverpool's midfield two marking PSG's central midfielders, they were unable to pull into these wide areas either. The French side dropped their attackers deep, into these empty wide positions with Liverpool's back three reluctant to follow them out into these areas. "I thought we could try and press them really high and aggressive, " Slot said. "Every time we tried to press them high and aggressive, those were the moments we got ripped apart. " Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.


