Arne Slot has conceded Liverpool are “quite experienced” with negativity due to the number of setbacks they have experienced, as he assessed how to find positivity.
With 15 defeats and seven draws, Liverpool’s win rate this season is just 52 percent, with inconsistency the theme of a disappointing campaign after the title success.
On the eve of the quarter-final first leg at PSG, Slot was asked several questions about addressing Liverpool’s woes, including how negativity can be turned into something positive in Paris.
“Another good thing is that during this year we’ve been become quite experienced in terms of negativity, because of all the setbacks we’ve had this season,” Slot responded.
“And this was a big one (vs. Man City), because it was the quarter-final, because it was a big loss, because it was against our rivals.
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“But for me, it felt just as bad when we were, I think, 3-2 up at Leeds, and we conceded in extra time when we were 2-1 up against Fulham.
“I didn’t forget, but if I start to name all the setbacks we had this season, then I see a few other people want to ask questions, then that’s probably not possible.”
While you can understand Slot was attempting to minimise the impact of the defeat at City, his response also highlighted the rout was not a unique experience, rather the latest in a long series of setbacks.
Arne Slot addresses Virgil van Dijk’s ‘gave up’ comments
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - Saturday, April 4, 2026: Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk looks dejected after the FA Cup Quarter Final match between Manchester City FC and Liverpool FC at the City of Manchester Stadium. Manchester City won 4-0. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Virgil van Dijk made an alarming admission after the FA Cup defeat, with the captain saying: “You shouldn’t give up and that’s maybe, at a certain point, what happened.”
Those comments later drew criticism from Steven Gerrard, and they were put to Liverpool’s head coach, who was asked if anything was said to the players in return.
“Of course we talked to the players in meetings, but also individually,” Slot explained.
“But I think it makes complete sense, and it’s completely normal, the feeling Virgil shared after the game, and that is the feeling every player had, and not only every player, every staff member and every fan or supporter of Liverpool as well.
“So everyone involved in Liverpool Football Club was disappointed after that result.
“That takes, of course, one or two days before you can look forward, look ahead towards the next game, but before you do that, you first address what we have to improve. And that’s quite obvious.
“I think everyone can see that if you only look at those 20 minutes, we can see a lot of things that we can improve.
“And we cannot compare Paris Saint-Germain with City completely, because when we had the control ball possession in the first 35 minutes, that also had to do with City staying more positional, not going so aggressive towards us.
“PSG has shown in the last seasons when there is a weakness, that they do not give you any second of time to have the ball comfortably on your feet. It’s press, press, press, press every second of the game.”