'I heard what Luis Enrique said about Liverpool and it proves what Arne Slot must accept'

There was a big gulf between Liverpool and PSG as the first leg of the Champions League tie at the Parc des Princes unfolded, with Arne Slot's tactics proving ineffective

Arne Slot and his Liverpool players after losing 2-0 to PSG in the Champions League.(Image: Xavier Laine/Getty Images)

Considering the circumstances and how this season has gone for Arne Slot, only losing 2-0 to PSG felt like a decent result for Liverpool. But for all that there will be talk about a famous Anfield comeback, it doesn't feel especially likely.

No doubt, the crowd will give it all it has next Tuesday. A big atmosphere is a must. But PSG played Liverpool off the Parc des Princes in the first leg, and only managed not to blow the Reds away thanks to a combination of good saves from Giorgi Mamardashvili and poor finishing from the likes of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele.

"I think it is a pity because we deserved a little bit more," PSG boss Luis Enrique said. "We created clear chances and we could have scored more, especially in the second half.

"But that is football. It is normal. You have to accept that. We are trying to recover as soon as possible and trying to focus on the next match in Anfield."

Arne Slot made the switch to a back three/five on the night, but the Dutchman's move looked more like a desperate attempt to change something than anything close to a masterstroke.

Liverpool improved from its defeat at Manchester City — it didn't collapse and give up this time, at least — but it was outclassed. It wasn't tactics that stopped a heavier first-leg setback, but a mix of luck and showing a bit more fight.

Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk were pulled left and then right by the PSG attackers and Jeremie Frimpong was poor. The extra defender and shored-up midfield also meant Liverpool had nothing in attack.

Liverpool struggled to contain PSG defensively throughout the match(Image: (Photo by Xavier Laine/Getty Images))

That is not a blueprint that can be copied and pasted into the next game. It was nakedly and unashamedly about damage limitation — and by design or otherwise, it just about paid off.

Next week, though, when Liverpool is at home, the fans inside the stadium will not allow it to be so passive. Even if it is, PSG will progress with ease and the Reds will exit with a whimper.

While Liverpool was better here, that was mainly a sign of how bad things have been of late rather than anything else. At least there was no repeat of the weekend's embarrassment, even if Enrique was right to say the margin should have been more.

Look around the rest of Europe, however, and a fuller picture emerges. Bayern Munich, with the vibrancy of Michael Olise and Luis Diaz, was superb at the Bernabeu, and while Real Madrid lost, at least it had moments of quality through the likes of Vinicius Jr.

Arsenal has had a wobble lately, but won at Sporting CP, and one of those three sides looks likely to go on to win the Champions League in Budapest from here.

In contrast, Jamie Carragher said Liverpool "was like watching a team from a lower division". He added: "The gulf in class was very worrying."

The signings of Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike were meant to elevate Liverpool to the next level and had fans dreaming of planning trips to the Puskas Arena last summer.

Instead, Liverpool's season hinges on getting back into the competition next season at all — something that is very much in the balance. That a 2-0 defeat at PSG felt like a step in the right direction says it all.