How Liverpool Can Save the Season With Isak Return & Psg Plan

With the optimism garnered from Liverpool’s win over Galatasaray well and truly extinguished by defeat at Brighton, the Reds face an uphill task to save their season.

While the death of Diogo Jota, as well as the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz, were always going to have an impact, you would have been hard-pressed to find a supporter who thought the season would descend into its current state.

After seven games into the season, with Liverpool boasting a 100 percent record, you would have been laughed out of town for suggesting the Reds would struggle to finish fifth.

Now, it is a very real prospect that the reigning champions won’t be playing Champions League football next season, despite the top five qualifying automatically.

So, with 10 defeats already in the league this season, the goalposts for what constitutes a successful end to the campaign have been shifted massively.

At this point, most just want the season over and would take a top-five finish. Others still hold out hope that an unlikely cup run could salvage some joy from a seriously drab season.

So, how is it that Liverpool can heave themselves to achieve something that at least leaves fans with some resemblance of optimism going into the summer?

More of the performance we saw against Galatasaray, please

Following an incredibly poor 1-1 draw against a depleted Tottenham outfit which resulted in boos at Anfield, Liverpool bounced back with arguably their best display of the season to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

With the crowd arriving in a mood of ‘what is there to lose?’, they got behind the players and the Reds responded, scoring four goals in a performance that reminded us what exciting football looks like.

However, it has become very clear that the players aren’t fit enough to maintain the pressing and higher intensity levels seen against Galatasaray.

Against Brighton, they began the game with an attempt to play in a similar manner, but after the break they tailed off significantly and posed little threat to the Seagulls.

In the win over Galatasaray, Liverpool covered 120.3km collectively, whereas they ran 107km against Brighton.

Milos Kerkez admitted to Liverpoolfc.com after defeat on the south coast that “you could see some of us were maybe a bit tired.”

With 64 hours between Liverpool’s last two matches, Kerkez was asked about the tight turnaround and said: “I don’t like this excuse. We know where we are in the standings in the Premier League and we know we have to push.

“I mean, of course, it’s maybe a bit [of an] advantage but [we are] still disappointed, very disappointed today that we couldn’t win.”

Liverpool fans may have to put up with makeshift style for now

This tiredness that Kerkez talks of is something that Liverpool fans need to come to terms with, for the rest of the season anyway.

We have seen on multiple occasions that the Reds can’t go toe-to-toe with the opposition more than once per week.

With a tricky run of fixtures coming up consisting of Man City (A), PSG (A), Fulham (H), PSG (H), Everton (A) and Crystal Palace (H), Arne Slot may need to revert to the more conservative style that saw a small upturn in results at the start of 2026.

This style of play, which saw Liverpool sit behind the ball at home to Sunderland, may be the Reds’ best route to navigating these games most effectively, as uninspiring as that sounds.

It could allow them to then turn on the switch in the big home games, such as the second leg against PSG, for example.

Better to focus on league or cups?

Liverpool find themselves in a position where they could still qualify for the Champions League via a fifth-place finish, largely due to the recent failings of Chelsea and Aston Villa.

The Reds currently occupy fifth spot and are one point above Liam Rosenior’s Londoners, but with a difficult run of fixtures to end the campaign, hope is evaporating that they will be consistent enough to remain there.

Alternatively, Liverpool could qualify for the European Cup by winning the competition this season.

At this point, it looks very unlikely, but we have seen what Liverpool can do when they are on their game with the Anfield crowd behind them.

The third route to salvaging some form of respectability from the season is the FA Cup.

Liverpool have been drawn the unenviable task of facing Man City in the quarter-finals at the Etihad, a ground where they have won just twice in the last 10 years.

Alexander Isak could bring a spark – maybe?

We might be slightly grasping at straws here, but Alexander Isak‘s return from injury could provide a boost in attacking areas.

With Mo Salah and Hugo Ekitike both off the pitch injured at the Amex Stadium, Slot’s side were severely lacking in goalscoring threat.

As well as giving a boost to the Reds’ attacking output, Isak’s return will hopefully help Ekitike too.

The 23-year-old Frenchman is among the squad’s contingent who don’t look able to press with intensity for 90 minutes and, as a result, Slot has had to limit his minutes.

Being able to rotate with Isak should help mitigate that. We shouldn’t expect too much from the Swede straightaway, however.

While he is expected to be back in some form against PSG, the head coach explained: “Let’s say [he comes back] at the beginning of April, he has been out for three and a half months and not trained with the team for three and a half months.

“The last time he did that, it took him a while to get up to speed.

“I am really, really looking forward to having him back but don’t get the expectations again so high that the minute he is on the pitch, he is at the level of what we spent that money on.”

A new manager – would it help?

It wouldn’t solve all of Liverpool’s issues and would definitely be a gamble, but as simple as it sounds, a fresh face could give the players and mood around the club a much-needed boost.

Whether it be under an interim coach or a permanent new appointment, you could argue that it would be difficult for Liverpool to play any worse than they are already doing.

Steven Gerrard is the obvious name that has been touted as a short-term fix – and he has made noises to say he would take the job – while Xabi Alonso is the favourite to take the job permanently if it becomes available.

This article isn’t to call for Slot’s head, though there is a strong argument that now would be a good time to make a change as the international break begins.

However, it is hard to deny that the gradual decline in performance and fitness isn’t a serious worry.

The rest of the season may soon be written off, but while there is a small chance of glory, let’s stick with the team.