Liverpool’s squad will be waking up on Wednesday morning disappointed.
The Reds were eliminated from the Champions League on Tuesday night at the hands of PSG, who took Arne Slot’s men to penalties before handing them defeat in front of their home fans.
Luis Enrique was impressed with the atmosphere at Anfield, but it was not enough to help Liverpool over the line.
The big games do not stop there for the Reds as they travel to Wembley on Sunday to contest the Carabao Cup final with Newcastle.
Liverpool will be without Trent Alexander-Arnold after the right-back picked up an injury on Tuesday night.
That is not the only impact that losing to the Ligue 1 leaders will have on the Merseyside club according to Paul Merson, who believes the French giants have just handed Newcastle a big advantage.
Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Paul Merson suggests Liverpool could be mentally drained for Carabao Cup final
Liverpool’s confidence is unlikely to have taken a hit after their defeat to PSG as they will know that they lost to one of the best sides in Europe and only on penalties.
Merson expected PSG to show up against Liverpool and has now suggested that the defeat could leave the Reds mentally drained ahead of their match with Newcastle on Sunday.
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Speaking on Sky Sports after the contest at Anfield, the pundit said: “That’s the thing, you got to pick them up, got to pick them up for the League Cup. I know it’s a nice one to get picked up for, but they’ll be disappointed.
“You know, playing here tonight, going out the Champions League and you looked at the draw, you know, if they could have won, they would have probably played Aston Villa, where they’d have fancied themselves, even though I thought it’d been a hard game.”
🗣️ "PSG could now be the team to beat in this competition. They are a massive threat"
Paul Merson reacts to Liverpool's exit from the Champions League ⚽ pic.twitter.com/lMsF9q226o
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) March 11, 2025
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The former Arsenal star would continue by saying: “Now they got pick themselves up. The only bonus here is for Newcastle.
“I think mentally, mentally losing the game. If they’d have won the game and won on penalties, that energy would have come. You get the air in the lungs.
“Now, they’ll be a bit distraught. They’ll be a bit they’ll be disappointed. They’ve got to pick themselves up for a cup final against a team that haven’t won a trophy since I was born. So it’s a massive football match, a big advantage to Newcastle tonight.”
Arne Slot is not worried about Liverpool’s mental state
In contrast to Merson, Slot is not worried about Liverpool’s mental fatigue ahead of the Carabao Cup final. In fact, the Dutch coach believes it will help his team bounce back.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, the Liverpool boss said: “The good thing is that we play a final on Sunday, so mentally, that’s probably the best you can ask for because this is what we are playing football for to play finals.
“Then there are two and a half weeks in between before we start the season again. If we can play nine times with this intensity, and then once we play at home with the same intensity from the fans as well, Then I’m really looking forward to the end of the season.”
A bigger worry for Slot will be injuries, while the Liverpool boss will also have concerns about Diogo Jota’s form and Darwin Nunez’s confidence after his penalty miss.
Luckily for the Reds, Newcastle have injury issues of their own, as Sunday’s Carabao Cup final looks set to be an entertaining affair.