Man City vs Liverpool: Arne Slot in vow to fans before PSG tie – as players are accused of blaming boss

Head coach Arne Slot says Liverpool “owe it to ourselves and our fans” to “react to this season” when they face reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain four days after losing 4-0 at Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Reds fans were pictured leaving the Etihad Stadium early as their side suffered one of the worst results of their underwhelming second season under Slot, following up a 2-1 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion that has also left them inside the Champions League qualification positions in the Premier League by a point.

“We go to Paris and we have to react to this defeat, we have to react to this season,” under-pressure Slot told Talksport after Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick as part of four City goals in 18 minutes either side of half-time.

“We owe it to ourselves and our fans, and that is what we are going to do. That is achievable – we’ve shown that before.

“Last season, we were very competitive against [PSG]. We have to do better if we concede a goal in Paris.”

PSG vs Liverpool: Can Reds recover from defeat at Man City?

Harvey Elliott’s 87th-minute goal gave Liverpool a 1-0 win at PSG in the first leg of the Champions League last 16 last season, scoring with their only attempt of the 30 between the teams in the game.

Ousmane Dembele’s winner sealed the reverse result at Anfield, where PSG prevailed on penalties – but Liverpool fans will be fearing a less even contest after a run of one win in five matches in all competitions, with their only victory along the way coming at home to Galatasaray, having lost in Istanbul.

“I don’t think you say too much to the players, because everybody is so disappointed after losing an FA Cup quarter-final against City in the way we did, with losing 4-0,” rued Slot, who saw Mohamed Salah – last season’s Premier League top scorer – continue his poor final season at the club by missing a succession of chances and having a penalty saved by James Trafford.

“To the fans, I can only say their support was great. For a long period of the game, they were so loud; they were helpful for us and that’s a big compliment if you see how our season has gone until now.

“It was quite an equal game in the first 30 or 35 minutes. Then they scored their penalty… two goals were from throw-ins for us.”

“I’ve never seen a Liverpool team so devoid of confidence”

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Former City player and manager Stuart Pearce said he would show Liverpool’s players a recording of their famous 4-0 win at home to Barcelona in the 2018/19 Champions League semi-finals, overturning a 3-0 first-leg deficit on their way to winning the trophy.

“Probably the best thing for Liverpool is to have a game of the magnitude of PSG to focus on,” Pearce told the broadcaster, describing how he would persuade the squad not to “be feeling sorry” for themselves.

“I’d get the analysis boys to put [the win over Barca] up on the screen and do a montage of that. I’d say ‘that is what Liverpool Football Club stands for.’

“Do you think, if you’ve just come off the pitch for Liverpool, losing 4-0 to Manchester City in the FA Cup and being totally outplayed, you’re going to need someone pointing the finger?

“There’s enough volatility in the dressing room to stoke that. Players don’t need that.”

Analysis: Were Liverpool players ‘handing blame’ to Slot?

Pearce suggested Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk had lost his composure and started driving their press in midfield towards the end of the defeat, adding that the defender and teammate Dominik Szoboszlai were “having a go at each other about who was pressing who” after one of City’s goals.

“Szoboszlai was looking over at the technical area with his management gesturing,” Pearce told the broadcaster.

“Too many players were just looking at each other and saying ‘it’s not my fault’. Maybe one or two of them were looking to the technical area, handing the blame to their manager.

“I’m surprised [Slot] didn’t make the odd change at half-time. We talked at half-time about maybe changing [Joe] Gomez.

“Rather than giving the game up, I’d have thought they’d have made a couple of changes to chase it. They needed to get [Szoboszlai] higher up the pitch rather than back to help Gomez.

“[Slot’s] got his defence mechanism up. You, as a manager, have to put a stick-on smile on and try to lift the whole dressing room and yourself.

“It’s a lonely place but he’s got to be the one who comes in and says ‘hey, come on – let’s go again’. It was a humiliating day for the fans, make no mistake.”

Should Liverpool sack Arne Slot?

Liverpool won the Premier League by 10 points in Slot’s first season in 2024/25 but sections of Liverpool’s fanbase wanted him to leave after a wretched early-season slump this time around.

The 20-time top-flight champions are expected to make a decision on the Dutchman once this season ends, with their fortunes in Europe and place in the Premier League top five potentially crucial to his future.

“I don’t think a change of manager at this stage of this season is going to be helpful,” said Pearce. “If they’re going to make a change, they’re going to have to wait until the summer.

“That’s floored Liverpool as a football club today. It doesn’t bode well for Wednesday and onwards. They’ve got to turn this around very, very quickly psychologically.

“It’ll be interesting to see the performance on Wednesday. They need to respond and the best way to do that is to deliver a performance.”

Liverpool team vs Manchester City

Goalkeeper Alisson Becker, defenders Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni and midfielder Wataru Endo were out for Liverpool against City, with Slot making three changes.

Salah was the headline newcomer after being sidelined for the defeat at Brighton, but striker Alexander Isak was not involved as the Sweden international closes in on returning from a broken leg.

Gomez and Curtis Jones also came in. Full-back Jeremie Frimpong, who had been a minor doubt, moved to the bench along with Cody Gakpo and Alexis Mac Allister.

Hugo Ekitike started in attack and fellow forward Federico Chiesa was also fit following injury concerns over the pair.

Liverpool starting XI: Giorgi Mamardashvili, Joe Gomez, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez, Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones, Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike

Liverpool substitutes: Freddie Woodman, Alexis Mac Allister, Federico Chiesa, Cody Gakpo, Andrew Robertson, Jeremie Frimpong, Trey Nyoni, Rio Ngumoha, Kieran Morrison