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'That line-up to start was complete nonsense' - Laurens
TL;DR
Julien Laurens criticized Arne Slot's starting line-up in Liverpool's Champions League defeat to Paris St-Germain, calling it 'complete nonsense.' Notably, Mohamed Salah was benched again, only to be introduced later in the match after an injury to Hugo Ekitike.
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French football journalist Julien Laurens says Arne Slot's starting line-up in Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final second-leg defeat by Paris St-Germain was "complete nonsense".
Slot opted to give Alexander Isak his first start since December and left Mohamed Salah on the bench - as he did in the first leg. Salah was introduced on the half-hour mark after Hugo Ekitike was forced off with what looked like a worrying injury.
He then made a double substitution at the break, taking off Isak for Cody Gakpo and Jeremie Frimpong for Joe Gomez, and Liverpool started the second half on the front foot but failed to make it count.
"I don't want to blame Arne Slot again like we did last week, but that line-up to start was complete nonsense," Laurens told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.
"That second half should have been exactly how Liverpool started the game to get the crowd going. It should not have been Isak from the start. I don't understand it.
"Slot made errors in the first leg in his line-up and the way they set up. We said before the game that he could not afford to get it wrong again.
"You can't change things at half-time and expect them to turn around this game, he had to get it right from the beginning.
"For me, again, he let the team down, the club down and the fans down.
"Isak could only have played 15 minutes. He made two passes and touched the ball five times. They played with 10 men in the first half. He could not have played 45 minutes. Ten at best at the end if you're pushing and you're 1-0 up maybe, but 45 - never in a million years and certainly not from the start."
Former Reds full-back Stephen Warnock added: "I watched him [Isak] here against Fulham and he was awful.
"He was non-existent [against PSG]. Gakpo did more in five minutes than Isak did in the whole first half. He is nowhere near fit. He's not got one ounce of fitness in him this season and it tells.
"You're thinking you can put him in against PSG in the biggest game of your season, against the best team in Europe, and think you're going to get a performance in 45 minutes - you can't just switch it on and off."
Q&A
Why did Julien Laurens criticize Arne Slot's starting line-up against Paris St-Germain?
Julien Laurens criticized the line-up for including Alexander Isak, who hadn't started since December, while leaving Mohamed Salah on the bench, which he deemed 'complete nonsense.'
What changes did Arne Slot make during the Champions League match against PSG?
Arne Slot made a double substitution at halftime, replacing Alexander Isak with Cody Gakpo and Jeremie Frimpong with Joe Gomez to improve Liverpool's performance in the second half.
How did Liverpool's performance change after Mohamed Salah was introduced in the match?
Liverpool started the second half on the front foot after Salah's introduction, but they ultimately failed to capitalize on their momentum and lost the match.
