Isak travels with Liverpool to PSG but will not start, says Slot
Liverpool striker Alexander Isak travelled with the squad for Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final first-leg trip to Paris St Germain, but the club’s British record signing will not start against the European champions, manager Arne Slot said on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old Sweden international returned to full team training last week following a prolonged absence with a broken leg. However, he was left out of the squad for Saturday’s 4-0 FA Cup quarter-final thrashing at Manchester City.
Isak’s return is nonetheless a major boost for the reigning Premier League champions, who have endured a difficult domestic campaign.
Liverpool are languishing in fifth place in the English top flight and have suffered 15 defeats across all competitions this season – their highest tally in a single campaign since losing 18 matches in 2014-15.
Since joining from Newcastle United for a club-record 125 million pounds on transfer deadline day in September, Isak has scored three goals and provided one assist in 16 appearances across all competitions.
“He finished close to a week of team training sessions, so he can play a part – otherwise I wouldn’t take him,” Slot told reporters.
“We didn’t take him to the Etihad because we felt he wasn’t able to get a performance yet. Now we think we can get a performance out of him, but not to start.”
Asked whether Ligue 1 leaders PSG should be considered favourites, Slot downplayed the importance of labels.
“I don’t think it matters if there is a favourite. It’s only about two games – a lot can happen in two games,” he said.
The tie is a repeat of last season’s round-of-16 meeting, when PSG eliminated Liverpool on penalties.
“Last season I think we deserved to lose here 4-0,” Slot added. “That game was only not 4-0 because of (goalkeeper) Alisson Becker. At Anfield, I think we deserved to win.
“The difference this time is that PSG kept their group together. Our team will look different to the one that was here last season.”
LIVERPOOL STILL BELIEVE IN SLOT
With pressure mounting on Slot, midfielder Florian Wirtz insisted the squad remain fully behind the 47-year-old Dutchman.
Liverpool broke their then transfer record in June to sign the 22-year-old Germany international from Bayer Leverkusen for a guaranteed 100 million pounds ($132.62 million), with a further 16 million pounds in potential add-ons.
Despite flashes of the quality that saw him score 57 goals and provide 65 assists in 197 appearances for the Bundesliga club, Wirtz has struggled for consistency in his debut season at Anfield. He has registered six goals and nine assists in 41 appearances across all competitions.
“Yes, of course,” Wirtz said when asked if the players are still playing for Slot. “We believe in the manager. The team should believe in the manager because they won the league last season.
“We’ve had a lot of good games this season. We wanted it to be better, but it is what it is now, and we still have things to play for.
“We have a good group with strong characters, great players and a good manager. He prepares us well for games. We believe in ourselves, and having the second leg at home could be an advantage. We’ll try to get a good result for Anfield.”