Mohamed Salah's sinking Ballon d'Or hopes, Trent Alexander-Arnold's injury concern and six problems threatening to dampen lethargic Liverpool's march towards Premier League glory

Much has been made of the fact that Arsenal's failure to sign a striker last summer has cost them dearly in this season's Premier League title race, and it's a very valid point. However, it is also worth pointing out that Liverpool don't actually have a No.9 they can count on either, and it was a key contributing factor to their last-16 exit.

Diogo Jota started up front in both legs and one couldn't fault him for effort on either occasion - but the perma-crocked Portuguese just didn't look match fit at all. So, it was no surprise to see him hauled off before the 75-minute mark in both games - and without scoring, too, meaning his four-year goal drought in the Champions League will now drag into another season.

Of course, there's no guarantee that Jota will still be at Anfield come the start of the 2024-25 campaign. He's a terrific finisher and a tremendously versatile forward, but the sad fact of the matter is that he just can't be relied upon to stay fit.

Darwin Nunez, meanwhile, can't really be trusted to do anything other than disappoint. Just when you think he might be about to turn things around, he lets you down again. The past week is the perfect cast in point. The unpredictable Uruguayan set up Harvey Elliott's winner at Parc des Princes before netting against Southampton at the weekend, sparking calls from certain quarters for him to start the second leg against PSG. However, he was awful after coming on and nobody was at all surprised to see him miss a crucial spot-kick.

The bottom line is that Liverpool need to sign a new No.9 this summer, as Mohamed Salah's sensational strike-rate has been disguising the team's lack of a prolific centre-forward for far too long.

Alexis Mac Allister admitted after Liverpool's crucial back-to-back Premier League wins over Manchester City and Newcastle that he and the rest of team-mates were looking forward to a weekend off due to their early elimination from the FA Cup. The hope was that their first real break of a punishing campaign would help the Reds recharge their batteries. Remember, the 2-0 defeat of Newcastle was Liverpool's fifth Premier League outing in just 15 days.

However, Slot's side have looked even leggier since returning to action. They struggled horribly to cope with PSG's intensity at Parc des Princes, were surprisingly poor against Southampton, one of the worst teams in Premier League history, and although they looked more like their old selves in patches on Tuesday, most of their key men were exhausted by the end of the 90 minutes.

Mac Allister himself had been one of Liverpool's best players on the night, but didn't make it to extra-time after running himself into the ground, while even the seemingly indefatigable Dominik Szoboszlai had nothing left to give after 105 minutes. Given the pair's importance to Liverpool's pressing, their inevitable exhaustion is a major problem for Slot, particularly as Ryan Gravenberch appears to be running on empty.

The Dutchman was dreadful in Paris and only marginally better on Merseyside, so it's hard not to fear for the Reds preferred midfield trio in the Carabao Cup final, given they'll be going up against a Newcastle team that has had an extra day's rest.

Liverpool could make changes, of course. Wataru Endo would certainly add some much-needed energy into the equation, but the Japan international could be needed in the centre of defence, given Ibrahima Konate was forced off with cramps against PSG. Curtis Jones is another option, although he had major issues coping with the intensity of the game after coming off the bench for the start of extra-time.

All of a sudden, Liverpool's engine room appears in very real danger of breaking down.

Have we seen the last of Trent Alexander-Arnold in a Liverpool shirt at Anfield? An awful lot of pundits and supporters were asking that question on Tuesday after the soon-to-be free agent was forced off with 17 minutes of normal time remaining.

At the time of writing, Liverpool have yet to issue a statement on the extent of the damage Alexander-Arnold did to his right ankle when he fell awkwardly on the sideline. However, as Slot admitted afterwards, it didn't look good, and the England international is a serious doubt for the Carabao Cup final, which is of far greater concern to the manager right now than whether Alexander-Arnold may have played his last game for Liverpool.

After all, Conor Bradley has already been ruled out of the trip to Wembley, meaning Jarell Quansah, a centre-half by trade, is probably the only legitimate option to fill at right-back. In that sense, this is a most unwelcome and untimely injury issue for both Alexander-Arnold and Slot.

Cody Gakpo's extra-time introduction should have been a boost for Liverpool's hopes of progressing to the quarter-finals. Instead, it was a blow.

The Dutchman has been one of Liverpool's best players this season, a minor revelation since being placed in his favoured position on the left flank, and his mere availability for the second leg was greeted with glee. The feeling was that even if he were only able to play 20-30 minutes, he could make a real impact off the bench. However, Gakpo could barely move after being brought on in the 101st minute.

There were no completed passes - let alone shots on goal - while he only managed to touch the ball three times. Worse still, he couldn't even get up to full speed when attempting to track back, meaning PSG players simply cruised past him. Gakpo was a complete passenger and his inability to defend undeniably contributed to the visitors' domination of the closing stages of the contest.

So, why did Slot bring on his compatriot - particularly when he had another industrious winger, Federico Chiesa, sitting on the bench? One can only conclude that the manager has zero faith in the Italy international, who has been plagued by fitness problems since arriving at Anfield, and it's now difficult to see Chiesa playing any part whatsoever in the remainder of the season. His Liverpool career already appears to be over.

As for Gakpo, the real worry now is that he suffered a setback immediately after being introduced and won't even be available to face Newcastle at Wembley.

Slot has done an amazing job since arriving at Anfield and is refreshingly honest in his interviews, so it would be nice if he explained what the hell is going on with Chiesa, and what on earth happened to Gakpo, in his pre-match press conference.

Thierry Henry unsurprisingly felt compelled to talk about Mohamed Salah's Ballon d'Or hopes after Liverpool's European exit, as the legendary French forward knows a thing or two about missing out on the game's most prestigious individual honour. Henry was unquestionably the best player in the world in 2003 and 2004, and utterly unplayable in the Premier League. However, he didn't win the Ballon d'Or in either year. Why? Because of his lack of success in continental competition.

Henry hit seven goals during the 2002-03 Champions League, but Arsenal didn't even make it out of the second group stage, resulting in their talismanic forward having to settle for second spot in the Ballon d'Or vote behind Pavel Nedved, who had played a pivotal part in Juve's run to the final. The following season, the Gunners were upset by Chelsea in the quarters, with Henry failing to score in either leg before going on to underwhelm at Euro 2004. Consequently, the man mainly responsible for Arsenal going the whole Premier League season undefeated didn't even make the Ballon d'Or podium.

Salah is now set to suffer a similar level of disappointment. He's presently producing arguably the finest Premier League season we've seen since Henry's heyday, with 27 goals and 17 assists in just 29 appearances so far, but it likely won't be enough to win the Ballon d'Or - not with so many world-class rivals still in the hunt for Champions League glory.

As Henry pointed out, Raphinha is now leading the race, while the likes of Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane are also serious contenders, which spells heartbreak for Salah, who was bettered by PSG's mightily impressive left-back Nuno Mendes for the second week in a row.

Of course, the tears Salah shed on Tuesday likely had had more to do with the manner of the defeat and the realisation that he may have played his last European game at Anfield - but the Ballon d'Or probably wasn't too far from his thoughts either, as the prolific winger has long felt his sustained individual excellence has been unfairly underappreciated by the voters.

There's a real chance, then, that the Champions League elimination could weigh even heavier on Liverpool's Egyptian King than many of his team-mates. He’s playing as well as he’s ever done but, at 32 and with his contract up this summer, he may never get a better chance to win the Ballon d'Or.

Virgil van Dijk was spotted talking to PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and sporting director Luis Campos in the hallways of Anfield on Tuesday - which predictably sparked speculation that the trio were discussing the Dutchman potentially joining the French champions on a free transfer this summer. In reality, Van Dijk was rather classily apologising for taking a minor shot at Campos - and Ligue 1 - while the Portuguese was complaining about the officiating in the first leg at Parc des Princes.

However, it was inevitable that the rumour mill would go into overdrive because, as Van Dijk confirmed after the game, his future remains unresolved. He's still not agreed a contract extension with Liverpool, and nor have the aforementioned Alexander-Arnold or Salah, meaning we remain in this farcical and utterly unforgivable situation where three of the club's most important players could leave at the end of the season.

In such circumstances, it's astounding that Slot has managed to maintain a title push while having to deal with this most unwanted and avoidable distraction. The Dutchman was even asked for an update in his post-match press conference and was left visibly stunned by the request, coming as it did after such a painful defeat.

Truth be told, it's a wonder he hasn't snapped by now, because he's perfectly entitled to be furious with employers for not only allowing this situation to drag on so long, but also leaving him alone to deal with the constant enquiries. The really annoying thing is that the questions are only going to intensify the closer we get to the end of the season - and they won't stop until the future of all three players is resolved one way or another.

There's a very real risk, then, that even Liverpool's potential Premier League title triumph, which seems a formality at this stage, could be blighted by transfer talk.