"Slot" has revealed the reason why "Salah" did not play in Liverpool's loss to PSG in the UCL quarterfinals first leg.
On 9 April 2026, Arne "Slot," Liverpool's manager and 5th place Premier League team, spoke after the UEFA Champions League 2025-26 quarterfinal first leg, where they lost 0-2 to defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, the Ligue 1 leaders of France.
In this match, Arne "Slot" surprised by deploying Liverpool in a five-defender formation and also decided to drop star striker Mohamed Salah to the bench, not substituting him in to change the game despite trailing in the score.
Arne "Slot" explained the reason for keeping Mohamed Salah on the bench throughout the game: "I think towards the end of the match, we focused more on survival rather than creating scoring chances."
"Yes, you never know, because last season we scored in the last five minutes, Harvey Elliott scored when I substituted Mo off."
"But I think during those 20-25 minutes we were mostly defending, and Mo is very talented, but having Mo defend inside our own penalty area for 20-25 minutes, I think it’s better for him to save energy for the many games ahead in the coming weeks."
Next, Liverpool will play in the Premier League at home against Fulham on Saturday, 11 April, before hosting PSG in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal second leg on Tuesday, 14 April.
