Arne Slott says he believes Liverpool can “do something special” when they welcome Paris Saint-Germain to Anfield in the Champions League quarter-final second leg on Tuesday night.
Goals from Desiree Due and Hviča Kvaratschelia helped the Reds lose the first leg 2-0 at the Parc des Princes on April 8, but the Dutchman says the task ahead is “not impossible”.
“First of all, let me remind them what the score was. It was 2-0. As we all know, it felt completely different, but the final result was 2-0,” Slott said in a press conference Monday afternoon.
“Secondly, this season we have had many great performances in big games and we have shown a different face. We are fully aware of that, but many of our games have been very good, especially in big games.”
“We haven’t all been together for a year and a half, but for the guys that have been with me during that time, out of the 49 home games we played, 46 of them we were able to score two or more goals.
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Sky Sports reporter Vinny O’Connor is in Paris to find out Arne Slott’s reaction to Liverpool’s 2-0 loss to PSG in the Champions League.
“Yes, we did not play all 46 games against Paris Saint-Germain, we understand that, but as everyone knows, the Premier League and Champions League opponents we played here are also very strong.
“There is a belief that tomorrow we can do something special, but to achieve that we need to be very, very, very, very special, because we are playing against the European champions. So the task becomes more complex, but not impossible.”
Slott was then asked how he was considering setting up his team for the Ligue 1 leaders’ visit, and admitted the situation would be risky.
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Liverpool manager Arne Slott explains the club’s transfer strategy since former manager Jurgen Klopp’s departure
“People will probably find it hard to believe what I’m about to say, but tomorrow’s approach will not be that different from what we did in Paris,” he said.
“For people who know me, I would never tell a team to go to the low block for 90 minutes.
“If you look back at the game, you can see that we pressed them a lot from high up. Unfortunately, seven or eight of those times they were one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
“Again, our approach tomorrow is to take risks because that’s what we need to do. But we need to press to get the ball from them and we saw how difficult it is to press these players.”
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Liverpool manager Arne Slott admits they were lucky to finish with a two-goal lead over Paris and explains why he did not leave Mohamed Salah on the bench.
“We have to find the perfect balance between being offensive, but to be offensive we need to hold the ball and the attackers need to do so many things well before they attack.
“We have two teams playing tomorrow and they both want to have the ball a lot. Last time we played them they had the ball 76 percent of the time.
“That’s the first thing we have to change tomorrow is to have more ball. It’s great to have more ball and bring an attacking threat up the pitch. That’s what we have tomorrow.”
Szoboszlai apologizes for the FA Cup “misunderstanding” and says he will “give everything he has” for the match against PSG
Dominik Szoboszlai feels his flashbacks with Liverpool fans this month were a “misunderstanding”.
Footage on social media showed Szoboszlai shrugging his shoulders, raising his arms and clapping at Reds supporters after the Reds’ 4-0 FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Manchester City, in what was widely interpreted as irony.
The midfielder was sent off by teammate Federico Chiesa to a chorus of boos at the final whistle, but Szoboszlai, considered Liverpool’s best player this season, downplayed the incident.
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Arne Slott answers tough questions after Liverpool’s 4-0 FA Cup defeat to Manchester City
“Maybe it was a misunderstanding between me and the fans,” he said. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way. Of course I know what the fans mean to this club and what the club means to the fans.”
“We will do our best for our fans, just as they do for us. We apologize for any misunderstanding.
“I’m not feeling any better than them. I feel exactly the same way they do. I’m with them, we’re with them, and hopefully they’re with us.”
Szoboszlai was speaking ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain, which they held a half-time advantage after winning 2-0 in the French capital last week.
But Liverpool have produced a number of stunning comebacks in Europe and Szoboszlai insisted he and his teammates will do everything in their power to fight back against the defending champions.
“We’re going to do our best and do our best,” he added. “I can speak for all the players because that’s what we really want. You never know what can happen in one game at Anfield.
“It’s going to be a different game than the first leg. We’re going to do things differently.
“You have to give it your all and give it your all. If you can say at the end of the game that you gave it your all, then you can hold your chin up and say, ‘I did my best.’ You don’t need more motivation than that.”
