Arne Slot has defended his decision to start Alexander Isak against Paris Saint-Germain after an anonymous showing which saw him touch the ball five times.
Isak was a surprise starter as Liverpool looked to fight back when 2-0 down against PSG, leading the line supported by Hugo Ekitike, Alexis Mac Allister and Florian Wirtz.
But the Swede failed to make an impression, with just five touches of the ball in 45 minutes before being replaced by Cody Gakpo at half-time.
Slot’s hope was that fielding his two strikers in Isak and Ekitike would give Liverpool the firepower to get them back into the tie before a planned substitution – but injury to the latter complicated the issue.
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Asked in his post-match press conference about his decision to start Liverpool’s No. 9 for the first time in 2026, Slot argued that “he was ready.”
“If you go to extra time and you play in the second half and he plays 45 minutes, there’s only two minutes in between before extra time comes up for half an hour,” he said.
“I don’t think that was realistic, but to play him 45 and let’s see at half-time how he feels to add five to 10 minutes to that, that was a possibility for today.
“But because we already had to make the first substitution in the first half, I didn’t want to make the second substitution five or 10 minutes after half-time.
“That’s why I took him off at half-time.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Tuesday, April 14, 2026: Liverpool's Alexander Isak (R) challenges for a header with Paris Saint-Germain's captain Marcos Aoás Corrêa 'Marquinhos' during the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final 2nd Leg match between Liverpool FC and Paris Saint-Germain FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
“He was twice close to a goal and that’s why you play a striker of his level.
“There was one header from a set-piece and there was one great run in behind Pacho where he was really close to scoring – which eventually was offside.
“So it’s good to see and to have him back. I think he was ready. If I didn’t think he was ready then I wouldn’t have played him.”
Slot later added: “If you compare today to last week I think it’s fair to say he was completely ready to play, otherwise you can’t play a first half like we do – even though the second half was even better.”
PARIS, FRANCE - Wednesday, April 8, 2026: Liverpool's Alexander Isak features in his first appearance since January 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)
While in theory starting Isak was understandable given his scoring record and the structure Liverpool had when he was on the pitch, in execution it was a different matter.
Having only come off the bench twice previously since recovering from a broken leg the 26-year-old still appears not only short of fitness but at odds with the style of play.
That led to a particularly quiet display on a night when Liverpool desperately needed to start fast and take the fight to PSG.
Mo Salah replaced the injured Ekitike midway through the first half and ended the game with the most touches in the opposition’s box (14) and the joint-most chances created (four) of any player.