Liverpool attacker Florian Wirtz “does not directly agree” with captain Virgil van Dijk’s belief that he gave up after the FA Cup humiliation at Manchester City.
Reds manager Arne Slott also questioned Van Dijk’s criticism, insisting that “the players didn’t give up” in Saturday’s 4-0 quarter-final defeat at the Etihad Stadium.
Slott and Wirtz spoke ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain. It was another daunting game for Liverpool, who are in excellent form and have scored 15 goals in their last four games.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Arne Slott responds to Van Dijk’s comments about ‘giving up’ during FA Cup match against Manchester City
Liverpool were 2-0 down at half-time against Man City, but their ability to deal with setbacks was once again questioned when they conceded just five minutes after the restart.
After Saturday’s game, Van Dijk said: “Obviously it’s very difficult to come back from 3-0 here. But we shouldn’t give up. It might have happened at some point.”
Asked about Van Dijk’s criticism before the game against PSG, Wirtz said in his pre-match press conference: “I didn’t know about this, I didn’t know he said this. But I wouldn’t directly agree because we were still trying to create a chance to turn the game around.”
“Of course, when the game is long and you’re down 3-0 in the 80th minute, it’s mentally difficult to go back and forth.
“We just tried to give our best in the game, like when we were 3-0 and 4-0. I think we had some chances then too. Losing 4-0 to City is not our standard. We wanted to get through the rounds. We need to do better next year and be better on the pitch.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
The Sunday Supplement panel discusses Liverpool’s 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup and what the future holds for Arne Slott if the Reds continue to struggle.
Slott was then asked about Van Dijk’s comments and said: “Sometimes in a football match you want things to be done a certain way and for various reasons you can’t do it.
“But one of them is when you think you’re playing well and you’re in the game, you can definitely concede a goal. Usually the most hurtful moments in football are right before half-time and right after half-time.”
“We conceded our third goal just after half-time and then for about five minutes we were too open and you could see the players struggling.
“What was good for us was that after 4-0 City seemed to have no problem with it and we were able to keep possession constantly. They couldn’t create as much ball anymore.
“But I didn’t see the players giving up in that part of the game and I think it’s good for the captain to have a strong and solid reaction after a game like that.
“And hopefully we can show a strong and solid response as a team, not just immediately after the game, but tomorrow evening.”
Slott admits PSG will riot if Liverpool loosen standards again
Slott and Van Dijk look depressed after Liverpool lost 4-0 to Man City in the FA Cup
Slott knows that if Liverpool’s performance drops, as they did in the humiliating defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup, Liverpool will be dealt a huge blow by PSG.
A difficult second year under the Dutch manager hit a record low at lunchtime on Saturday as the reigning Premier League champions collapsed on either side of half-time, suffering an embarrassing 4-0 defeat in the last eight.
The Reds rode on their good fortune at the Parc des Princes last season, winning the last-16 first leg with a 1-0 smash-and-grab, but Slott knows the kind of slump seen at the Etihad Stadium means they won’t be so lucky this time around in France.
“All I can say is that if we had the 20 minutes we had at City and we had them here tomorrow evening, we would have conceded four goals again, because the players here know how to behave if we have 20 minutes like that,” said the Liverpool manager.
“It’s a challenge for us to be at the level we were in the first 35 minutes (against City), from the first second to the last second.
“Otherwise it’s going to be another really tough night like last year when we deserved to lose 4-0 here, maybe even more so.
“But that’s the beauty of football. We scored in the 85th minute and it was like a robbery.”
Wirtz claims players still believe in Underfire slots
Slot signed with Wirtz in the summer
Apart from Van Dijk’s comments, Wirtz insisted Liverpool’s players still believe in the under-fire slot.
The Dutchman won the Premier League in his dream first season at Anfield, but his future is being debated as his second season draws to a close.
Liverpool sit fifth in the table after a strong start to defending their title came to an abrupt end, while Saturday’s 4-0 defeat at Man City ended any hopes of domestic glory and increased pressure on head coach Slott.
Asked if the Liverpool players were still playing for the manager, Wertz, who signed for a big sum this summer, said: “Of course they do. We believe in the manager.”
“The team won the league last season, so they should believe in the coach.
“We’ve had a lot of good games this season. We were hoping for better, but that’s where we are now.
“We still have a lot to play and all I can say is that we have faith in the coach and will try to do our best on the pitch tomorrow.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Arne Slott answers tough questions after Liverpool’s 4-0 FA Cup defeat to Manchester City
He added: “I think we have already shown this season that we are good in big games, especially in the Champions League.”
“I think the last match against Galatasaray was not easy, they are also a good team and we believe in ourselves.
“We have a good group of players with good character and we also have a good manager who wants to prepare us well for the game.
“We believe in ourselves. We know we have a second game at home and that could be an advantage. So we want to do our best, believe in ourselves and get a good result at Anfield first.”
But while Wertz is confident of a good result at the Parc des Princes, the 22-year-old knows he will have a tough night if he is below his best.
“We have to fight for 90 minutes tomorrow with full energy and full commitment, otherwise we won’t have a chance,” he said.
“We need 90 minutes to come together as a team and believe that even if we concede a goal in a difficult situation, we can come together and win this game.”
“I think we tried too hard at some points during the weekend, which caused us to get a little wild on the pitch. Yeah, so we have to correct that for the next game.”
