Liverpool VS PSG: Why the Last-16 Champions League is far from 16 years old, despite the victory of Arne Slot in Paris | Football news
Liverpool seemingly have one leg in the quarterfinals of the Champions League after last week’s 1-0 victory in Paris Saint-Germain, but the side of Arne SLOT would make a big mistake if they were underestimating the task that they were confronted when Ligue 1 was visited by Anfield for a return meeting on Tuesday evening.
History is certainly against Parisians when they travel to Merseyside this week. Of the 27 previous teams that lost their first leg at home in the knockout of the Champions League, only three progressed.
In the meantime, on seven occasions, Liverpool won their first leg away from home, winning a return fixture three times, pulled it twice and lost twice.
PSG should be warned, however, that even when the Reds lost their other leg on Anfield, they still managed to go through both times, in the last 16 against Barcelona 2006/07 and Inter Milan in 2021/22.
In fact, only once Liverpool has ever won the first match of the Champions League knockout and eliminated, as it happened when foreign Gerard Houllier defeated Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 at Anfield in the last eight in 2001/02, only to come out after a 4-2 defeat in Bayaren.
However, although the prospects can occur very complex against PSG, which will break up to the quarterfinals – Skybet gives them only a 7/4 chance to win Anfield – there are many reasons to hope for the foreign Luis Enrique.
The European team that forms the most arrives on Merseyside
Arne slot was effective in praise PSG ahead of the first leg in the French capital, calling them “one of the strongest teams in Europe.”
In fact, Liverpool manager even went so far as to suggest Parisians, not red – who were at the top of the table – in fact the best side in the league phase of the competition that preceded the knockouts, according to the “basic statistics”.
Now, although the Dutchman may have exaggerated a little to emphasize exactly what he gave him a ticklish draw, moving into his first leg, PSG was a European team that was in Europe, after winning 10 games in a row in all competitions from late January.
This included the demolition of Brest 10-0 to the aggregate in the previous round, while scoring 40 goals in the continental lineup in the process, 17 more than runner-up Barcelona.
Looking at their views in the league stage, when they finished in 15th place, after handing them over to them the hardest schedule of any side, their total number was impressive.
For example, the PSG finished 107 dribbling in the league, while they were third in touch in the opposition frame (304) and the fourth for both completed passages (4,639) and finished passes in half of the opposition (2.556).
In the meantime, they are in fifth place for total possession (59.44 percent), and their expected goals a total of 16.37 – they actually scored 14 goals – they were the eighth best, and all the safety dreamed of observation of places that Ligue 1 champions should actually finish far more with long ones.
All this, of course, in the first leg where the hosts saw 27 shots at Liverpool’s goal, which is the second most popular (since 2003/04) on the side of the Champions League match where they both failed to achieve and lose.
Not only that, but the loss of last Wednesday was the first defeat of PSG any game of November 26, and they arrive at Merseyside, they failed to score only once in their 25 trips in the league this season, with even a slot admitted that it was still a lot to play on Anfield on Tuesday.
“If you look at the performance, PSG can lead a lot of positive results to the game we will play in a week,” he said after the first leg. “We know it will be difficult in the week.”
Good time to face tired red colors?
In contrast, Liverpool wrongly hit the attack late and before Saturday’s lavish victory against the bottom of Southampton table, they did not score more than two in the last seven, with a total average of goals per game of 1.57 and an expected average goals of just 1.22 per game.
This is a sign of fatigue and while the red weekends practiced their entire XI from Paris, Luis Enrique had a luxury to rest almost all his initial band in their 4-1 romp at Rennes.
Can PSG dominate once again in the battle for the environment?
One area where PSG definitely became better than Reds last week – and will be on Tuesday at Anfield – it will be in the middle.
This will not be a surprise for the slot and his coaching team, however, even manager Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, pointed out this power of Parisians after a 4-2 defeat in 4-2 in Parc des princess in the League format in January.
“PSG was better, they had another player in the middle of the field with a false nine and it was difficult to press it,” Guardiola said of PSG likes to surpass their opponents in the middle of the field.
In combination with the pressure of their monsters, including the departure of the man to the whole field – which forced Virgil Van Dijk to start pumping a goal shot downhill early Wednesday, instead of playing from the back, as they usually do – then, as the slot admitted, PSG becomes almost impossible to stop.
“They press a man to make a man all over the ground, making many teams make a lot of possession of the ball against them,” he said.
So expect visitors to adopt a similar tactic on Tuesday night.
Will the magnificent Mendes shine again?
One player, especially who captured his eye in the first match, was PSG Marauding Nuno Mendes with a full beck, who only managed to keep Liverpool’s Ballon d’Or – and perhaps most in a form in Europe – Mohamed Salah in the check all night, but which was also a constant attack on his many hinterland.
The Portuguese internationally won the most duel (11), made the most fights (8) and entered the fastest entries (15) of any Parc des princess player. His 16 interruptions of the lines on the night were just improved by Vitinh (21) and Marquinhos (20), while no Liverpool player went past him throughout the match.
If Mendes repeats these numbers on Tuesday, PSG will surely have a great chance of progressing in the last eight.
Luis Enrique and Co’s Joie de Vivre makes them very dangerous
Luis Enrique had a glow in his eyes when asked if his side could beat Liverpool on Anfield on Tuesday, as they had to withstand any chance of progressing in the last eight.
“We have nothing to lose and that makes us dangerous,” said PSG chief. “We’re ready for Liverpool. We’ll do that.”
His players also accepted the melody, and Vitinha spoke Channel+: “We’ll show the team we are, we’ll show our character. We’ll win there.”
These words were echoed by the teammate of Devile Doue, who said, “We are convinced and convinced that we can do something special. Let’s go to Anfield to win the game. We can do it.”
They are right, because the Parisians really have nothing to lose on Anfield, and with just a win in the night, they expect visitors to accept a similar approach to what has served them almost well last week in the first part.
They all make them a very dangerous opponent, because the Reds Van Dijk captain quickly pointed out after the first leg victory.
“I think they are an extraordinary team, a fantastic team. You can see the rate of work they set,” he said.
“Obviously we had a discussion after the game about it and you could see them if they lost the ball, pressing them all together and running together.
“It is a great credit for the manager to set the job and he made a team of world class in my eyes.
“It will be difficult on Tuesday and you will all see. I think anyone who has expected it to be a dominant performance from us before our game there, I don’t think they watch PSG throughout the season.
“We know that on Tuesday it will be just as difficult, maybe even harder, because it will have to come and win. It will be a hard work because they are the world class and they have already shown it against us.”
Luis Enrique and his players will be consoled with the conviction that Alisson, who made nine savings in Paris in Paris, certainly cannot repeat last week’s views of players on Anfield on Tuesday.
