Liverpool manager Arne Slot has urged his squad to perform at their best for the full 90 minutes if they are to have any chance against Paris St-Germain in Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg. The Dutch coach also disagreed with captain Virgil van Dijk’s recent suggestion that the team gave up during last weekend’s 4-0 FA Cup defeat to Manchester City.
“You don’t see players giving up, but it’s natural for a captain to have a strong reaction,” Slot said at a press conference on Tuesday. “This season we’ve had our share of setbacks, and last Saturday was a tough one against City in a major quarter-final. We’ve learned from these experiences.”
Liverpool’s defensive lapses were glaring against City, conceding four goals within 20 minutes across the two halves. Slot warned: “If we repeat the same performance here tomorrow, we will again be punished. We need to maintain our focus from the first second to the last.”
Despite a Premier League title last season, Slot is under mounting pressure to ensure Liverpool either win the Champions League this season or secure European qualification through domestic competition.
German midfielder Florian Wirtz expressed confidence in the manager, saying, “We believe in our manager. The team has had many good games this season. Things haven’t gone perfectly, but we still have objectives to fight for.”
Slot also highlighted the club’s history of bouncing back from setbacks: “This squad has repeatedly shown it can compete with the best in Europe. Liverpool as a club has done so countless times, and we aim to continue that tradition.”
Team news and PSG challenge
Paris St-Germain have had a strong record against Premier League teams, having defeated Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Aston Villa, and Liverpool since last season. They have continued that form this year, including an 8-2 aggregate victory over Chelsea in the previous round.
Liverpool could welcome back £125 million club-record signing Alexander Isak, who has recovered from ankle surgery. The striker has traveled to Paris and could feature in the match. Slot indicated he may also recall Jeremie Frimpong and Alexis Mac Allister.
“This squad has the quality to compete,” Slot said. “We have to be at our best from start to finish if we want a positive result against PSG.”
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