Liverpool’s 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain Tuesday evening didn’t just sting on the scoreboard. In France, the post-match verdict was predictably brutal.
Several Liverpool players were handed very low ratings by L’Equipe, with one star even slammed with a 2/10.
Here’s how the French press dissected a night to forget for Arne Slot’s side.
Low ratings for several Liverpool stars
Up first is goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who is handed a 5/10. He is described as being ‘effective’ despite everything he did being unconventional or not pretty.
The newspaper argues it was certainly an improvement over his sometimes erratic, and occasionally even dangerous, distribution with his feet.
Liverpool did not impress
Liverpool did not impress
Jeremie Frimpong ranks worse. He’s handed a 3/10 after a ‘complete off day’ in which he committed ‘numerous technical errors’. Defensively, he wasn’t much better, with lapses in coverage frequent but not fatal.
Milos Kerkez also gets a 3/10 from the newspaper. They describe him as the ‘weak link’ in Liverpool’s defence who was clearly targeted by the Parisians.
Virgil van Dijk is up next with a 5/10 rating. When it comes to the defender, L’Equipe say he is a ‘far cry’ from the world-class defender he once was.
They do, though, insist that his performance was nothing to be ashamed of.
Four for Szoboszlai
Dominik Szoboszlai comes next with a 4/10. L’Equipe say he ‘failed to live up to his billing’ as Liverpool’s best player this season.
While he covered plenty of the ground, saw lots of the ball and produced a few moments of class, his offensive impact was ‘non-existent’. They speculate that why be Arne Slot moved him to right-back later on.
Ryan Gravenberch gets a 5/10. He displayed a ‘great deal of sloppiness’ in the first half, repeatedly giving the ball away. He was ‘transformed’ after the break and instigated several Liverpool attacks, but that resurgence came too late.
Florian Wirtz and Alexis Mac Allister are each given a 4/10. The German is described as being ‘highly insufficient’ despite contributing defensive. Mac Allister, meanwhile, ‘exerted very little influence’ on the game and ‘was found wanting’ in the build-up to Ousmane Dembele’s opener.
Salah the best, Isak the worst
Mo Salah, meanwhile, gets a 6/10 rating. He didn’t get everything right but earned ‘undeniable credit’ for constantly striving to make a difference.
One such was the wicked cross with his first touch, while there was another through ball for Kerkez that the full-back didn’t’ capitalise on.
It’s more painful reading for Alexander Isak. L’Equipe say he ‘all but vanished’ from the game after an initial start, squandering good chances and getting just five touches. He gets a 2/10. His replacement, Cody Gakpo, gets a 5/10 despite being ‘ultimately ineffective.
More pain for Arne Slot
Arne Slot doesn’t come out untouched either. He’s given a 3/10 score, largely for his ‘losing gamble’ of starting Isak in the game.
Failing to use Mo Salah from the start also ‘raises questions’ given the impact he had on the game almost instantly as a substitute.
His use of Joe Gomez, who came on at half time and was taken off in the 67th minute, was ‘not particularly convincing’ either.
As far as L’Equipe are concerned, the Dutchman did not give the impression that he had put his team in the best possible position to succeed.