Liverpool’s Slot has an ‘unpopular opinion’ about Champions League loss to PSG last season

By Canadian Press on January 27, 2026.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot said Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain last year may have been the making of his team’s Premier League title-winning season.

The Merseyside club was dumped out by eventual winner PSG in the round of 16, despite topping the standings after the league phase.

Liverpool went on to be crowned champion of England for a record-equaling 20th time — but has seen its defense unravel this term — leading to scrutiny of Slot in his second year in charge.

With his team sitting sixth in the Premier League standings and 14 points behind first-place Arsenal, Slot suggested Liverpool had struggled to cope with the Champions League and Premier League this season and benefited last year from an early European exit.

“Again, this is not going to be a popular opinion what I’m going to tell you now, but maybe the reason why we won the league last season is that we had to play Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16,” Slot said ahead of Liverpool’s game against Qarabag in the Champions League on Wednesday. “Because, as you know, they beat us and we had every time a week to prepare for our next game.

“Maybe if we had to double that program, which Arsenal had and they dropped a few points in that period of time, that has helped us in winning the league.”

While Liverpool has struggled in the Premier League — the loss to Bournemouth on Saturday was its seventh this season — it is well-placed to advance directly to the Champions League round of the 16.

The six-time European champion is fourth in the standings and a win against Qarabag would guarantee a top-eight finish and a place in the knockouts. Slot said the Champions League had impacted on Liverpool domestically.

“The biggest struggle we have is that we have to play in both leagues, which is what we want by the way, but too many times after a Champions League game we’ve dropped points or we’ve lost actually,” he said.

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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

James Robson, The Associated Press

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