Slot's Liverpool tactics 'massively wrong', claims Carragher

Jamie Carragher hit out at Arne Slot's tactics in Liverpool's 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

Liverpool remain in with a chance of progressing to the last four of the Champions League, but they were well beaten by the holders on Wednesday.

PSG missed several golden chances and had a penalty awarded then overturned by VAR, while they were also denied a spot-kick late on for what appeared to be a blatant push by Ibrahima Konate.

Liverpool, on the other hand, failed to have a shot on target in a Champions League match for the first time since November 2020 against Atalanta.

Their 0.17 expected goals (xG) was the lowest tally in all competitions during Slot's time at the club.

Slot set the Reds up in a back five, and former defender Carragher was far from impressed.

"That was like watching a team from a lower division," he said on CBS Sports Golazo.

"The gulf in class was very worrying from a Liverpool point of view.

"In some ways, it's a great result as it should have been five or six. But the gulf between the two teams was absolutely startling when you consider last season.

"Yes, Liverpool got battered at PSG and they won 1-0, we know that. But the second leg at Anfield was a really close game, two top teams.

"Liverpool then go and spend £450m, probably a lot more than PSG spent in the summer. To see the gulf there is worrying. You think, 'how's it got to that? How's it got that bad?'

"The manager has tried something but he's got it massively wrong tactically, how he went about it.

"They were actually more open with the back five than they would be with the back four because they went man-to-man all over the pitch and the three centre-backs had to cover the width of the pitch.

"But, what I must also say is that it's not just the system of Liverpool and getting it wrong tactically, PSG were absolutely out of this world. It was like watching Pep Guardiola's Barcelona."

After three straight defeats in all competitions, Liverpool take on Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday.

Liverpool sit fifth, just five points above Fulham, who are ninth.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Liverpool - Florian Wirtz

Only Bruno Fernandes (73) has created more chances from open play in the Premier League this season than Wirtz (47).

However, though the German ranks 10th in the competition for expected assists from open play (4.04), he has only recorded two open-play assists (-2.04 underperformance).

Fulham - Harry Wilson

Former Liverpool attacker Wilson is having a fine season.

Wilson has been involved in 16 goals for Fulham in the Premier League this season following his goal last time out against Burnley (10 goals, six assists), while only Clint Dempsey (23 in 2011-12), Louis Saha (18 in 2003-04), Dimitar Berbatov (18 in 2012-13) and Luís Boa Morte (17 in 2004-05) have more goal involvements in a single campaign for Fulham.

MATCH PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL WIN

Fulham have won just two of their 32 away league games against Liverpool (D8 L22), winning 1-0 in both May 2012 and March 2021.

However, Liverpool are winless in their last three Premier League games against Fulham (D2 L1). Only once have they had a longer run without a league win against the Cottagers (four games between 1966 and 1967).

Fulham have scored 13 goals in seven Premier League games against Liverpool since their return to the division in 2022 – only Tottenham (14) and Brighton (15) have netted more against the Reds in that time.

Since (and including) MD6 in the Premier League this season, Liverpool have lost (10) more league games than they have won (nine), with 11 sides collecting more points in the competition than their 34 in that time.

After winning only two of their first eight Premier League games of 2026 (D2 L4), Fulham have won three of their last five (D1 L1), while only Bournemouth and Manchester United (both nine) have won more points from losing positions this calendar year than the Cottagers (eight).

No side in the Premier League this season has scored more goals in the final 20 minutes of games than Fulham (18, level with Liverpool), while the Reds have conceded 18 in that time, two more than any other side.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Liverpool - 60%

Draw - 21%

Fulham - 19%