How fluid PSG exposed Slot's back-five tweak

How fluid PSG exposed Slot's back-five tweakImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Liverpool host Paris St-Germain for the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday, 14 AprilByUmir IrfanFootball tactics correspondentPublished1 minute agoChanging the shape of your side for a big game will always draw attention. So Arne Slot put himself in the spotlight by setting up Liverpool with a back five against the champions of Europe.The result - a 2-0 defeat by Paris St-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final - left Liverpool's season hanging by a thread.It was a surprising tweak. The only other time Liverpool have fielded a back five this season was in their Carabao Cup fourth-round defeat by Crystal Palace in October.So why make that change? Did Slot get his tactics wrong? Or were PSG just too good?Why PSG could bypass Liverpool high pressIn Wednesday's match, PSG had 74% of the ball and 18 shots to Liverpool's three. These stats are damning but Liverpool didn't set up to defend their own box for 90 minutes, despite starting with a back five.Out of possession, they looked to press high - albeit without much success. Hugo Ekitike, Dominik Szoboszlai and Florian Wirtz formed a narrow line between PSG's defence and midfield. PSG dropped one of their midfielders back, forming a make-shift back three with the two central defenders. Liverpool's front three went man-to-man with these three players. Behind them were the remaining two PSG midfielders who were marked by Liverpool's midfield duo. Liverpool's wing-backs were tasked with marking Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes. PSG rotated impressively to find players unmarked. Full-backs Hakimi and Mendes both pushed high up the pitch, pinning back Liverpool's wing-backs. This prevented Liverpool having any presence in wide areas when they pressed. With Liverpool's midfield two marking PSG's central midfielders, they were unable to pu...