Liverpool’s Champions League campaign ended in heavy defeat, but it is the selection decision that preceded the final whistle that has drawn the sharpest scrutiny. Manager Arne Slot chose to start Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak ahead of Mohamed Salah for the second leg at Anfield, a match Liverpool needed to overturn a two-goal deficit from the first leg. The gamble failed, with PSG winning 2-0 on the night to progress 4-0 on aggregate.
Jamie Carragher, the former Liverpool defender and current Sky Sports and CBS Sports pundit, was among the most vocal critics of the decision. Speaking on CBS Sports Golazo following the defeat, Carragher challenged the logic behind Slot’s team selection. “The manager will have his reasons, but Isak is nowhere near fit,” he said.
Carragher’s case for Salah rested on several points. The Egyptian forward had not featured in the first leg, meaning he had avoided the physical demands that other Liverpool players had absorbed across two matches in quick succession. “Mohamed Salah did not play the first leg, so he is not like some of the players who played last week and then played at the weekend in the Premier League,” Carragher noted. “He played in the Premier League and scored a goal. He’s still one of Liverpool’s best goalscorers. He’s used to this system. Isak’s never even played with [Hugo] Ekitike before.”
The decision carried additional context given the widely reported public disagreement between Salah and Slot earlier in the season, which had drawn significant attention. Carragher, however, was reluctant to attribute the selection to any lingering friction between the two. “I don’t think Arne Slot is the type of manager who would be thinking ‘I remember what you did to me a few months ago, calling me out publicly,'” he explained. “Certain managers in the past, maybe Alex Ferguson, might think something like that. I don’t think Arne Slot would.”
Instead, Carragher speculated that Slot’s rationale may have been influenced by Salah’s confirmed departure from the club at the end of the season, with the forward understood to be leaving Liverpool when his contract expires in the summer. “Is it because he’s already announced he’s leaving? It’s something like ‘I’m going with the players who are going to be here next year,'” Carragher suggested. “That’s the only thing I can think of. Even that doesn’t make sense. It’s about the here and now. I’m flabbergasted.”
Salah, 32, has been one of Liverpool’s most consistent performers throughout the 2025-26 campaign, continuing to contribute goals and assists despite the uncertainty surrounding his future. His absence from the starting lineup in a match of such magnitude is likely to remain a talking point as Liverpool reflect on their European exit.
The defeat marks a significant blow to Slot’s first full season in charge at Anfield. While Liverpool have remained competitive domestically in the Premier League, the manner of their Champions League elimination — and the questions now surrounding squad management — will invite closer examination of the Norwegian coach’s decision-making as the season enters its final stretch. Slot has not yet offered a detailed public explanation for the Salah omission.
