Jamie Carragher took aim at several Liverpool players after their 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain within the Champions League, including Hugo Ekitike, Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Ibrahima Konate.<\/p>\n
Arne Slot\u2019s side struggled to address PSG on the Parc des Princes as goals in each half from Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia sealed a deserved win for the Champions League holders.<\/p>\n
Liverpool did not register a shot on course and had just 26 per cent possession, while Slot admitted after the sport that his side were more focused on \u2018surviving\u2019 PSG\u2019s onslaught within the second half.<\/p>\n
Slot opted to play with a back five against PSG but Carragher believes Virgil van Dijk was hampered by an \u2018poor\u2019 performance from Konate.<\/p>\n
\u2018He [Slot] went about it with the back five all improper they usually were actually more open with a back five than they might be with a back 4,\u2019 Carragher told CBS Sports.<\/p>\n
\u2018Because they went man-to-man everywhere in the pitch and your three centre-backs needed to cover the width of the pitch and for Virgil van Dijk watching him tonight in a middle of a back three\u2026 normally whenever you get to a certain age you are feeling in the course of a back three is ideal, everyone\u2019s in position, getting a little bit of protection. This was different.<\/p>\n \u2018Defenders were jumping into midfield, there was nobody to mark and Virgil van Dijk at 34 years of age was having to run in there and he was having to run across. He couldn\u2019t do it.<\/p>\n \u2018People have criticised Van Dijk for his performances this season but I feel it\u2019s been harsh. I feel he plays every game, the fella next to him has been awful all season and poor again tonight, Konate, makes a mistake every game, in order that\u2019s hard to play alongside, so I still think he\u2019s been certainly one of Liverpool\u2019s higher players, Virgil van Dijk.<\/p>\n \u2018But tonight in that back three I actually have never seen him [Van Dijk] so uncomfortable in a Liverpool shirt in my life.<\/p>\n \u2018I feel he will probably be pleading with Arne Slot to never play that system ever again because he found it so tough.<\/p>\n \u2018But, what I have to also say, it\u2019s not only the system of Liverpool and getting it improper tactically, PSG were absolutely out of this world. The most important compliment I may give them was it was like watching Pep Guardiola\u2019s Barcelona.\u2019<\/p>\n Carragher was also critical of Liverpool\u2019s three marquee signings \u2013 Ekitike, Wirtz and Isak \u2013 who cost a combined \u00a3320 million last summer and claims that the trio usually are not working hard enough out of possession.<\/p>\n \u2018Listen, what I’d say about Virgil van Dijk\u2026 he\u2019s all the time been a real leader on the pitch and he’s a real leader, for me, off the pitch,\u2019 Carragher said.<\/p>\n \u2018He gets questioned a bit of bit when Liverpool don\u2019t do well by supporters, his leadership on the pitch, but that all the time happens when team\u2019s aren\u2019t winning, you\u2019re all the time pointing fingers.<\/p>\n \u2018For me, he\u2019s been a implausible captain and a implausible player for Liverpool and he all the time comes out and speaks and I respect that because not everyone does without delay.<\/p>\n \u2018I said firstly of the season, and nothing\u2019s modified in that, what you\u2019re seeing here at Liverpool, and there are numerous various things which can be improper, but you\u2019re watching three all-time greats, the goalkeeper, Alisson, he\u2019s all the time had injuries but he\u2019s having more now, he\u2019s not the identical goalkeeper, Virgil van Dijk as we all know shouldn’t be quite the identical, who’s at 34? Mo Salah is similar, who’s at 33 as an attacking player?<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019m never going to criticise those players, the legends, they\u2019ve done a lot for the club they usually\u2019ve carried players. That\u2019s not criticising the opposite players because that\u2019s Thierry [Henry] at Arsenal, you mostly have 4 or five great players who carry the remaining with them.<\/p>\n \u2018So what you\u2019re watching here now could be Salah and Van Dijk, who were absolutely out of this world last season, carried Liverpool to the title, they\u2019re not the identical players and the others usually are not quite ok to step up.<\/p>\n \u2018And then you definately\u2019ve also got recent players coming into the team and I feel they\u2019ve got away with quite a little bit of criticism actually, the brand new signings, because we\u2019ve almost said they\u2019re recent signings, they\u2019re getting up to the mark.<\/p>\n \u2018Ekitike was really poor tonight, I said before the sport, and I include Wirtz and Isak on this, to be a top player for Liverpool as an attacking player, it is advisable to be smug on the ball but humble off the ball, they\u2019re not humble off the ball, they don\u2019t do enough off the ball and that\u2019s why it\u2019s easy to play against Liverpool without delay.<\/p>\n \u2018Three legendary players come to the tip of their careers, recent players are available in and never knowing what exactly they should do to play for Liverpool without delay.<\/p>\n \u2018I include Isak who got here on, Ekitike and Florian Wirtz who has got to do lots more, an awful lot more.<\/p>\n \u2018One of the simplest ways you possibly can describe Florian Wirtz without delay, he\u2019s got \u00a3125 million, is that he\u2019s neat and tidy.\u2019<\/p>\n For more stories like this,\u00a0check our sport page<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Follow Metro Sport for the newest news on ![\"Soccer](\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SEI_292457002-72e8.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646\")
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