Arne Slot‘s decision to set Liverpool with a back three came as a surprise, and the decision becomes even stranger when going over the coach’s previous comments.
For the first time in either the Premier League or Champions League since December 2017 away at Brighton, Liverpool started with a back three as they tried to nullify the threat of Paris Saint-Germain.
As the performance and prevailing statistics will tell you, it didn’t work – perhaps that was down to the team having just two days of preparation – and Slot’s job is now under even closer scrutiny.
Many fans think he is a man desperately seeking to find a solution to Liverpool’s ongoing problems, a task that is taking him away from his coaching principles.
PARIS, FRANCE - Wednesday, April 8, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Arne Slot during the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final 1st Leg match between Paris Saint-Germain FC and Liverpool FC at the Parc des Princes. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Back in November, Liverpool reached arguably the nadir of their season, losing 4-1 to PSV at Anfield. Even after their ninth defeat in 12 matches, though, Slot was skeptical of calls to change:
“Is the question: ‘should I change dramatically?’.
“I don’t know what is in your head but if, for example, you want another system with five defenders that could be an issue. I don’t even have five defenders.
“The system we are playing now suits the players best.
“They have played this system probably throughout their whole career and there is hardly any training time for us, so it is almost impossible to change our complete idea about football if we play every two days.
“I think we have played a lot of different lineups for reasons I prefer not to do because everyone was not available. We have used our whole squad constantly.”
Why Arne Slot switched to a back three vs. PSG
PARIS, FRANCE - Wednesday, April 8, 2026: Liverpool's Milos Kerkez challenges for a header with Paris Saint-Germain's Achraf Hakimi (L) during the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final 1st Leg match between Paris Saint-Germain FC and Liverpool FC at the Parc des Princes. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Why Slot, with two days to prepare the players following a 4-0 defeat to Man City, thought that now was a good time is anyone’s guess.
The head coach explained after the 2-0 loss to PSG that he thought the use of wing-backs Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez could help counter the threat of Luis Enrique’s excellent full-backs, Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi.
“Hakimi and Nuno Mendes are an unbelievable offensive threat, aside from all the others,” Slot explained.
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“We played them with Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, so that was the thought behind it. In that way I thought we could try to press them really high and aggressive.
“If you press Hakimi and if you press Nuno Mendes, they play and they start to sprint – actually it’s not even sprinting, it’s a level above sprinting – and you have to cope with that.
“Usually, usually players like Jeremie and Milos are better equipped for that than out-and-out wingers.”
PARIS, FRANCE - Wednesday, April 8, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Arne Slot and first assistant coach Sipke Hulshoff (R) during the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final 1st Leg match between Paris Saint-Germain FC and Liverpool FC at the Parc des Princes. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Slot’s plan didn’t work as the Parisians outplayed the Reds and found space in behind, with Liverpool’s three man-marking central defenders being constantly pulled out of position by PSG’s fluid attackers.
While some supporters aren’t blaming Slot for trying something new – nothing else seems to be working anyway – others think that reverting away from his principles is the sign of a coach who has run out of ideas.
Take a look back at Brendan Rodgers, whose shift to a back three provided some temporary relief towards the end of his Liverpool career, but it was never a long-term solution.
Slot may argue that he hasn’t got the tools at his disposal to play his perfect brand of football – and he may be right – but life isn’t perfect and football isn’t played on paper.