‘Wasted’ – BBC pundit thinks Arne Slot got it wrong with one call in Liverpool’s defeat to PSG | OneFootball

Arne Slot has hardly put a foot wrong since replacing Jurgen Klopp in the Liverpool dugout, but the Dutchman was criticised for one decision that he made during the defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night.

The Reds bowed out of the Champions League after losing on penalties to Luis Enrique’s side, and the 46-year-old felt that his team were unfortunate to see their European campaign come to an end in the round of 16.

Whereas Harvey Elliott scored within a minute of his introduction in the first leg a week ago, those who were brought on for the home side last night were unable to have the same impact.

Warnock questions Slot’s substitutions against PSG

Stephen Warnock was critical of Slot’s use of substitutions during the defeat to PSG, believing that the Liverpool head coach ‘wasted’ one of the six changes that he was allotted as the match went to extra time.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live (via liverpool.com), the former Reds defender lamented: “Darwin Nunez didn’t have an effect on the game and Curtis Jones was poor when he came on. Cody Gakpo didn’t look fit. It looked like a wasted substitution from Liverpool.”

(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Slot had every right to trust in Gakpo when Liverpool needed a goal

One of Slot’s strongest attributes this season has been his intelligent choice of substitutions, with several instances of players coming off the bench to make a decisive impact.

In addition to Elliott’s late winner in Paris, Diogo Jota scored within a minute of taking to the field in the 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest, while Nunez famously netted two crucial stoppage-time goals in the dramatic win over Brentford in January.

Unfortunately Gakpo wasn’t able to conjure similar heroics last night during his 18 minutes on the pitch as he returned from an ankle injury, but with Liverpool needing a goal in extra time to try and stave off a penalty shootout, it made sense to bring on the Reds’ second highest scorer of the season so far.

Maybe Warnock feels that Federico Chiesa, who didn’t make it off the bench at all, would’ve been a better option to bring on in place of Luis Diaz. However, Slot has more than earned the right to be trusted with such big calls, given his results at Anfield in his first few months in the job.

We certainly don’t think that bringing on the ex-PSV Eindhoven winger was a waste of a substitution. At least he has some bit of game-time under his belt ahead of the Carabao Cup final, in which he could well start if he’s fit enough for an extended runout.