A meek . His heaviest defeat as Liverpool manager. A senior player saying there was no 鈥渇ighting spirit.鈥�
Arne Slot came under renewed pressure Saturday after a 4-0 thrashing by Manchester City featuring a 20-minute collapse that he could barely explain.
鈥淎n unbelievable disappointment,鈥� the Dutchman said after Liverpool鈥檚 elimination in the FA Cup quarterfinals at Etihad Stadium.
After winning the Premier League last year in his first season in charge and then overseeing a $570 million summer splurge on new players, Slot has seen Liverpool fall away badly and lose 15 matches in all competitions. That鈥檚 their most in a single season since 2014-15.
The Reds are fifth in the league 鈥� 21 points behind first-place Arsenal 鈥� and now have just one shot left at a trophy, in the Champions League. Liverpool plays defending champion Paris Saint-Germain in the quarterfinals starting next week.
Slot鈥檚 predecessor, Jurgen Klopp, used to describe Liverpool’s players as 鈥渕entality monsters鈥� but there was a lack of fight in the team, especially in the period from the 39th to the 57th minute when City scored all of its goals.
鈥淭he fighting spirit wasn鈥檛 there enough, the mentality wasn鈥檛 there enough. None of us were there to be honest as much as we could,鈥� Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai said.
Asked why those attributes weren鈥檛 there, he added: 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a good question. I don鈥檛 know. It鈥檚 hard to find words, to be honest.鈥�
Szoboszlai鈥檚 comments were then put to Slot.
鈥淚 should ask him what he means and what period of time,鈥� Slot said. 鈥淚f he felt it was the whole game, I did not feel this until the moment they scored (to make it) 1-0.
鈥淚n that 10, 15 minutes of time (at the start of the second half),” he added, “I missed the fighting spirit … the willingness to win your duel, to be there first, to make it difficult for either a pass or a cross or a finish. That is something we definitely have to do better on Wednesday (against PSG).鈥�
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