‘He’s used to this system’ - Carragher hits out at Liverpool manager for benching Salah against PSG

The former defender was left stunned by Slot's choice to leave star forward Mohamed Salah on the bench for the crucial second leg at Anfield, which Liverpool lost.

Facing a significant deficit from the first leg, Slot made a bold call by handing Alexander Isak his first start in four months, relegating the club's top goalscorer to the sidelines. 

The tactical risk did not pay off, as Liverpool succumbed to a 2-0 defeat on the night, resulting in a 4-0 aggregate loss and a premature exit from the competition.

Speaking on CBS Sports Golazo, Carragher questioned the manager's rationale. "The manager will have his reasons, but Isak is nowhere near fit," he stated. 

“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. 

“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."

Carragher dismissed the idea that Slot was holding a grudge against Salah for a past public disagreement, but he struggled to find a logical explanation for the decision. 

"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’," Carragher explained. 

"Certain managers in the past, maybe Alex Ferguson, might think something like that. I don’t think Arne Slot would."

"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.’ 

“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," he added.