Liverpool lost their final two matches before the international break
Arne Slot has urged his team to bounce back quickly to win the Premier League
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By LEWIS STEELE
Published: 07:48 EDT, 1 April 2025 | Updated: 07:48 EDT, 1 April 2025
Arne Slot says his Liverpool team were outworked in the Carabao Cup final defeat to Newcastle a fortnight ago – and they must now put that behind them as they look to clinch the Premier League title.
The Reds return to action tomorrow night in the Merseyside Derby against Everton after more than two weeks off from club football, a well-deserved rest after a gruelling period that ended in disappointment with them also falling out of the Champions League to Paris Saint-Germain.
And Slot says they must remember the hardship of those matches and use it to their advantage in the final nine games of the league season.
‘There was a bit of noise about us losing to Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle,’ he said. ‘I always try to be rational and try to judge the situation, in these situations I don’t think it has happened many times.
‘When you win eight games in Europe and only lose one and then you are out, I was a bit more frustrated. I was a bit more frustrated about the Carabao Cup final though because for the first time, we deserved to lose the game. We were not tough defending, not good with the ball.
‘They immediately went to the national teams and all of them played important games. For most of them, they didn’t forget because they know what happened and they are like me disappointed at not winning the first trophy and being out of the Champions League.
Arne Slot has called on Liverpool to rediscover their best form for the season's run-in
Liverpool were beaten by Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final before the international break
Slot admits his team were 'outworked' at Wembley, and insists that can never happen again
‘But they are also realistic. When you play nine games in Europe and win eight and were unlucky going out on penalties. We tried everything to go through and I cannot blame any player at all. For the final, we were also outworked and that is not what I like.’
Slot added that the break will have done his team the world of good. He said: ‘This (international break) I liked the most, I needed the most as well. But there is no difference between back then and now.
‘If you want to achieve something in the Premier League, in the League Cup, in the FA Cup, you need to compete with the best teams in the world so there is no room for going down a gear, you always have to be on top of your game.
‘You have to be there in September, in October, in March and definitely in April and May.’
Liverpool will need to ‘be there’, as Slot says, for the tough test at Anfield tomorrow night against David Moyes’s Everton, who are unbeaten in nine league games.
The Reds are 12 points clear with nine games to go and need a maximum of 16 points to win the title – though that could change based on Arsenal’s game against Fulham tonight.
Slot will be without Trent Alexander-Arnold who is still recovering from an ankle injury. Ryan Gravenberch and Alisson should be OK after withdrawing from their international camps early, while Conor Bradley remains a doubt.