Slot must to drop Mac Allister for Liverpool to get past PSG next week | OneFootball

Liverpool suffered a 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League quarter-final meeting.

The French side made light work of a Liverpool side that looked several levels below their counterparts.

While Liverpool still have a shot of making the semi-finals after the second leg next week at Anfield, manager Arne Slot will have to make some tough calls.

One of them will have to be dropping midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, who continues to struggle in the engine room.

After a stellar 2024/25 campaign, Mac Allister looks worn out this term and is a shadow of the player who played a key role in Liverpool’s league title triumph.

The Liverpool ace was very poor against PSG. He gave the ball away in dangerous situations, almost costing the reigning Premier League champions.

He was booked for a cynical foul on Desire Doue and never quite settled. The Daily Mail gave him a 5/10 rating.

Mac Allister lost possession seven times and won only 5/13 duels. He was also dribbled past on three occasions.

PSG easily played around him and Ryan Gravenberch in the engine room, even when Florian Wirtz and Dominik Szoboszlai dropped back to provide help.

The Parisians played through their lacklustre press and won the midfield battle easily.

Ultimately, this performance only reinforces what has been evident for much of the season.

Liverpool lack a steely, defensively reliable presence in midfield.

They are too easy to play through, too passive without the ball, and the backline is left exposed far too often against elite opposition.

Addressing that has to be at the very top of their summer transfer priorities.

A more combative, positionally disciplined midfielder would bring balance and allow Slot to reshape his engine room.

It would free him to drop Mac Allister out of the firing line when needed, while pairing Gravenberch with a natural ball-winner who can anchor the side.

Without that profile, Liverpool risk being overrun again on the biggest stage.