Virgil van Dijk is right about Liverpool 'bare minimum' - what Arne Slot needs next is clear

Liverpool center-back Virgil van Dijk was gutted to exit the Champions League against PSG, with the Reds ultimately paying the price for being 2-0 down from the first leg

Arne Slot and Virgil van Dijk after PSG knocked Liverpool out of the Champions League.(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Exiting the Champions League at the hands of the holder, Liverpool battled and fought at Anfield. Ultimately, though, there was a clear difference between the Reds and a more clinical and technically gifted PSG.

Though Liverpool gave it a good go, Ousmane Dembele's opener on the night put an end to any hopes of Arne Slot's side progressing into the semi-finals, and the French forward still had time to grab another late on.

"That's the bare minimum, isn't it?" Reds skipper Virgil van Dijk said when asked about Liverpool giving it their best shot despite being 2-0 down from the first leg at the Parc des Princes.

"It's disappointing to be knocked out but PSG deserved to go through. Knocking on the door is not enough. I'm disappointed that we were knocked out, but that is the reality."

Across the course of the tie, Liverpool lacked any real cutting edge in the final third. In the first game, that was surrendered in hope of holding on for only a marginal defeat; in the return, it just didn't quite click.

Alexander Isak was brought into the side from the off, but he was only ever going to be able to play 45 minutes as he continues to regain match sharpness — a process that has been ongoing, in part because of a broken leg, ever since he arrived.

Hugo Ekitike was also stretched off after half an hour, so the new-look front line that Liverpool is likely to view as its Mohamed Salah succession plan lasted only a sixth of the double-header.

Virgil van Dijk consoles Mohamed Salah after Liverpool's exit from the Champions League(Image: (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images))

Florian Wirtz was the only one who remained on the field after the interval, but while he did create some chances for those around him, the final touch and a bit of extra quality at the vital moments was missing.

"I think we made a lot of progression compared to last week," Slot insisted said in his post-match press conference.

"I have to give a lot of credit to the players for how hard they worked. I have to give a lot of credit to our fans, how they helped us tonight to execute our game plan.

"And that means if we have a high press, it's so helpful if there are fans behind you to keep on pushing you. That's what they did.

"Unfortunately, it's one of the many examples of this season where we weren't able to score from the many chances we had. Again, we were so underperforming in terms of xG and that is just an ongoing thing with us throughout the whole season."

Isak being on his way back and Ekitike now being set for a spell on the sidelines didn't help. Without them, the goals didn't come, and when the summer arrives, that lack of depth and clinicalness must be addressed.

This was the departing Salah's final match in the Champions League for Liverpool but he was unable to make a telling impact, and it remains to be seen whether the Reds are in the competition next season.

Next up in the Premier League, Liverpool has Everton. It concludes the campaign with matches against Crystal Palace, Manchester United, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Brentford that will determine its fate.

"We should be very disappointed at this stage and at this point this evening," a resigned Van Dijk said. "But a massive game awaits for us. We all know how big it is. It will obviously be a tough one but it is something to look forward to.

"But at this stage, I'm just not in a good place because we got knocked out of the Champions League. I think PSG deserved to go through based on the two games."