As Liverpool gears up to face Paris Saint-Germain in tonight’s Champions League quarter-final at the Parc des Princes, their analysts have diligently reviewed Chelsea’s recent encounter with the same formidable opponent.

A key takeaway from Chelsea’s approach was the bold strategy employed by their coach, Liam Rosenior. Unlike many teams that might opt for a defensive stance, Rosenior encouraged his players to press PSG aggressively on their home turf.

Rather than adopting a cautious, defensive game plan, Rosenior’s team aimed to disrupt PSG’s play by pushing forward and applying pressure high up the field.

It’s true that Arne Slot’s squad has faced challenges with high-press tactics this season. This was evident in their recent match against Manchester City, where City managed to bypass Liverpool’s midfield with relative ease. Liverpool’s coaching staff is also well aware of PSG’s midfield prowess, having witnessed it firsthand at Anfield last March.

However, those who watched Chelsea’s first-leg performance might argue that they were the superior team until a costly error by Filip Jorgensen handed PSG a 3-2 lead in the 74th minute. Before this turning point, Chelsea held their own, maintaining an aggressive stance and managing to score twice.

Liverpool looked badly out of sorts in their 4-0 defeat by Manchester City on Saturday, and they face another tough assignment away to Paris Saint-Germain tonight

Arne Slot knows better than anyone how dominant PSG’s midfield can be, after his side lost to the Parisians in the last-16 last March

But Chelsea proved last month that you can have success in Paris by pressing PSG aggressively, with Enzo Fernandez scoring after the Blues won possession high up the pitch

Both of Chelsea’s goals, scored by Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernandez, resulted from successfully forcing PSG into errors and capitalizing on turnovers, showcasing the potential effectiveness of a high-press strategy.

We know Liverpool are not the pressing monsters they were under Jurgen Klopp, but Slot should recognise that PSG can be vulnerable to a high press, and beatable.

PSG goalkeeper Matvei Safonov did not appear the most reliable versus Chelsea, and so Liverpool should be seeking to test him at the Parc des Princes themselves.

BEWARE THE PSG COUNTER

The risk with Chelsea’s approach was it gave one of the world’s most talented attacks, led by Ousmane Dembele, the opportunity to charge at them on the counter.

PSG’s second goal, for example, arrived 14 seconds after a shot by Cole Palmer was saved by Safonov at the other end. That move also involved Dembele twisting and turning Wesley Fofana, who did not cover himself in glory defensively.

Liverpool will have to be prepared for those situations if and when their players are positioned high and they lose possession. But Chelsea showed if you get at PSG and respond well when required, then you can have some joy amid a hostile atmosphere.

Slot’s side have been poor at defending counter-attacks this year. The pairing of Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk has been exploited too many times, while midfielders Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister can be found wanting out of possession.

Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk have been exposed too many times this season – they will have to be at their best to deal with PSG’s threat on the counter

Ryan Gravenberch will also have to up his game out of possession to deal with the likes of Vitinha

Their back four in the loss to City, which included Joe Gomez at right back, was lacking in pace. Jeremie Frimpong could be fit enough to start in Paris — but will he begin in the front three, as he has done in several European games this term?

In any case, Rosenior held no regrets over his high-risk approach in Paris. 

When reporters pressed him on it a few days later at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground, the Blues boss said: ‘I could play 5-4-1, sit back, kick them the ball back, not give them a counter-attack, they win 4-0. I’ve seen that in Ligue 1, I’ve seen that in the Champions League. I live and die off hindsight.’

DON’T BE NAIVE LIKE JORGENSEN

As mentioned, it all unravelled for Chelsea after 74 minutes when Jorgensen tried and failed to pass out from the back, which ended with him picking the ball out of his own goal.

When Chelsea beat PSG in the summer’s Club World Cup final, Enzo Maresca had his goalkeeper, Robert Sanchez, play long passes towards the wingers. That gave PSG little chance of robbing him of possession at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

But Rosenior saw something in Jorgensen’s passing ability in training, trusted him for that Champions League trip, and ultimately, his insistence on playing out of his box helped PSG.

With Alisson Becker injured, Liverpool will be using their own younger understudy Giorgi Mamardashvili in goal. He should not seek to play into PSG’s hands in the same way Jorgensen did. Even if under orders to pass from the back, he must assess the situation and adapt when needed.

Filip Jorgensen’s naive passing out from the back cost Chelsea dearly in Paris last month

Robert Sanchez’s pass map from Chelsea’s Club World Cup triumph over PSG in July shows how his direct kicking effectively bypassed the Parisians’ high press – Giorgi Mamardashvili must be similarly adaptable tonight 

Mamardashvili, the big Georgian, is calm with the ball at his feet but he is not Alisson. See Brighton’s first goal two weeks ago: the goalkeeper was made to panic by the Seagulls’ press and conceded a cheap throw-in which led to a goal.

Alisson has been known to go long at times but he does not have the same outlets any more. After a stellar year for Gravenberch, teams now target him and Mac Allister and shut off the pair as passing options.

Jorgensen was still trying to pass out of his box towards the end of that first leg, even after he had already allowed Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to score PSG’s third. 

Chelsea’s vice-captain Fernandez threw the ball at his goalkeeper in anger at one stage for sticking to that strategy. Will Mamardashvili learn from his mistake tonight?