Arne Slott questioned the effort and fighting spirit of Liverpool’s players after their side lost 4-0 to Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Liverpool were level for much of the first half at the Etihad Stadium, with Mohamed Salah and Hugo Ekitike missing chances, but the floodgates opened after 20 minutes when Virgil van Dijk conceded a penalty and Erling Haaland took it.
Reds midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai claimed his team-mates lacked the mentality to bounce back from setbacks, and Slott agreed that his team-mates did not react well enough to Haaland’s opener.
“I didn’t feel it until the moment they scored 1-0 and I think we were still in the game after they scored, but then they broke through us twice during our throw-in. And they were so fast and we have to defend sharper in those moments,” he said.
“The second goal was similar to the one we conceded here earlier this season, the second one we conceded just before half-time against Man City.
“In the first 10 minutes after half-time there was a clear lack of fighting spirit, but after that it was a game where both teams accepted the result 4-0.
“In those 10 or 15 minutes, I missed your desire to win duels, your willingness to be there first and make it difficult to pass, cross and finish. That’s something we definitely have to improve on Wednesday.”
Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring his second goal against Liverpool
Haaland scored again before half-time and Antoine Semenyo added a third five minutes after the break, completing a hat-trick for the striker to hand Liverpool their 15th defeat since 2015.
The loss was compounded by Salah saving a penalty.
“If you don’t make it difficult for a good player, it will quickly become a goal.”
Slott defended his team against accusations of neglecting the basics, but admitted there was a common pattern to the goals conceded.
He said: “If you look at Man City’s 15 goals conceded, 15 times our players didn’t run, and I don’t agree with that. But if you just look at the goals, you see they weren’t being defended.”
“If you see crosses not being blocked and duels in front of goal not being won, you are absolutely right.
“It’s not about the whole game, but every time you score a goal, you forget to block the cross, you forget to defend in front of the goal, you forget to follow the runners. That’s not the pattern of the game.”
Slott added: “And sometimes we forget that when you’re down 1-0 just before half-time, you don’t have to understand that to go from 1-0 to half-time you have to do everything right. Sometimes it’s 1-1 and you’re trying to score, and sometimes you’re trying not to concede.”
“As I said, we defended very poorly in those 20 minutes when we conceded four goals, and we saw exactly the same thing.”
Mohamed Salah reacts after missing penalty against Manchester City
Asked what he thought about that, Slott said: “Everything is a little bit of a problem. I think effort comes first. Of course, if you look at the fact that they have surpassed it and the timing, it’s a moment for Haaland to come in, but I think we have to try to make it even more difficult for them than it was for us, because they are already good players.”
“If you don’t make it difficult for good players, it quickly becomes a goal. That’s what we saw four times. And on Wednesday we play again against very good players. So in the moments when we have to defend, we have to make it even more difficult for them than when we were defending.”
“When you get a lot of opportunities, you start to feel like maybe you should change your game plan or your tactics.
“But if it was a moment, which it was, I don’t think they had more chances than a goal, so it’s about understanding the importance of the moment.
“Understanding that you have to be ruthless in the moment, even if things go against you or you feel a little mentally challenged.
“Again, we are losing 1-0 after 35 minutes when we felt we were at least on par with the opposition team. This has happened to us many times.
“Sure, mentality may be part of it, but that’s never an excuse, because when you wear this shirt and play for this club, even if you’re 1-0 down, 2-0 down, it’s never an excuse not to put in that effort in the moment. When you play against a team of that quality, it’s almost impossible to get results.”
“If you let runners go, if you don’t block shots against players at a different level, if you don’t block crosses, maybe you can get away with it, but you can’t do it at this level.”
