Image Credits: Imago Images
Florian Wirtz has disagreed with Virgil van Dijk’s claim that Liverpool “gave up” during their 4-0 FA Cup defeat to Manchester City at the weekend.
Reds captain Van Dijk had suggested that Liverpool stop playing after falling behind, despite starting the quarter-final strongly. Liverpool initially held their own, but after conceding the first goal, the team quickly collapsed.
The heavy defeat marked another low in a season already plagued by inconsistency, with the 4-0 loss representing Liverpool’s worst campaign in terms of losses since 2014–15.
Many of the 8,000 travelling fans left before the final whistle, leaving Arne Slot to applaud a nearly empty away section at full-time.
In his pre-match press conference, Wirtz said when he was asked about Van Dijk’s comments: “I didn’t know that he said this. “I would not agree directly.
“We tried to create chances to turn the game around. When the game gets longer and it is in the 80th minute and you are 3-0 back, it is mentally difficult to go and go and go.
“We tried to give our best in the game and when it was 3-0 or 4-0, we still had a few chances. Of course, this is not our standards that we lose 4-0. We wanted to go through this round. Next year, we should go better and be better on the pitch.”
Arne Slot has faced pressure from multiple quarters this season, though the Liverpool head coach still has a chance to turn things around. Wirtz was asked directly whether the players remain behind him.
“Yes, of course,” the summer signing said: “We are believing in the manager. The team should believe in the manager as they won the league last season.
“We have had a lot of good games this season. We wanted it to be better but it is what it is now. We still have things to play for and everything I can say to that is that we believe in the manager and try to get our best on the pitch tomorrow.”
Saturday’s 4-0 FA Cup defeat to Man City marked Liverpool’s 15th loss in all competitions this season, the most in a single campaign since 2014–15, when they lost 18 under Brendan Rodgers.
Liverpool travel to Paris on Wednesday night as head coach Slot faces a host of challenges to salvage their disappointing season.
The Reds take on Paris Saint-Germain in a daunting Champions League quarter-final, almost a year after being knocked out on penalties by the Parisians in the last 16 – a side that went on to win their first-ever European crown.
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