Liverpool manager Arne Slot has shed light on why he opted not to bring Mohamed Salah on during the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
Speaking at his post-match press conference, Slot explained that the decision was tactical rather than due to injury or disciplinary reasons.
“The last part of the game was about surviving for us, this was a 20-25 mins where we were only defendin and it’s better to save his energy for the upcoming games,” he said.
Slot added that after Liverpool conceded twice, the team’s priority shifted to damage control against a dominant PSG side. Bringing Salah on late would have seen him defending deep in his own box—a role that does not play to his strengths.
“It didn’t make sense to bring him on just to defend; the situation required defensive stability over attacking impact,” Slot explained.
Liverpool now face a challenging second leg at Anfield on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, needing to overturn a two-goal deficit to progress to the semifinals.