Jamie Carragher was left 'flabbergasted' by Arne Slot's decision to start an underprepared Alexander Isak instead of Mohamed Salah for Liverpool's must-win Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain.
Isak, who hadn't featured from the start since December, was selected ahead of Salah with the Reds trailing 2-0 on aggregate following a dismal first leg defeat in France.
Liverpool ultimately fell to defeat by the same scoreline at Anfield, and Slot appeared to concede his error when he substituted Isak at the interval. Salah was introduced in the first half after Hugo Ekitike sustained what appeared to be a serious injury.
Prior to the second leg, Carragher admitted he couldn't 'believe' Slot's choice to drop Salah, who recently confirmed this would be his final season at Anfield. The Liverpool legend said on CBS Sports: "I can't believe it, that he [Salah] is not playing. I can't understand why.
"The manager will have his reasons, but Isak is nowhere near fit. Mo Salah didn't play in the first leg, so he's 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, he scored a goal, he's still one of Liverpool, probably Liverpool's best goalscorer. He's used to this system; Isak's never really played at with Ekitike before.
"Now, I don't think Arne Slot's the type of manager who would almost be thinking: 'I remember what you did to me a few months ago when you called me out publicly.'
"Certain managers in the past, I can think of maybe Alex Ferguson... I don't think Arne Slot would, but is it because he's already announced he's leaving? And it's something like, 'I'm almost going with the players who are going to be here in the next year'.
"I don't know, it's the only thing I can think of, but even that doesn't make sense, because it's about the here and now, so I'm flabbergasted Mo Salah's not playing."
Slot justified his choice to drop Salah by explaining that he wanted two forwards that Liverpool could 'play into' as they chased two goals. The Reds boss also stood by his decision to name Isak in the starting line-up, stating after the final whistle: "I think he was ready and if I thought he wasn't ready, then I wouldn't have played him."
The goals never materialised, however, and his side will finish the campaign without silverware. Liverpool's attention will now turn exclusively to securing a place in next season's Champions League, beginning with a Merseyside derby on Sunday — their first trip to Everton's new Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Despite suffering defeat to PSG for the second consecutive year, Carragher took heart from Liverpool's considerably improved display. "PSG are a far better team than Liverpool right now, we've seen that other the last two years," he added. "But I can accept what I saw tonight in that I saw a performance, certainly in the second half, that's what I expect from Liverpool in a European game at home. If the opposition are better than you, fair enough.
"But there was an intensity to the play, certainly in that first 25 minutes and the start of the second half. We haven't seen that a lot all season and that always has to be the style of football Liverpool play, no matter who the players are, no matter who the manager is."
