Arne Slot was defiant after his Liverpool facet ended a depressing week with defeat to Newcastle within the League Cup ultimate on Sunday, switching the main focus to the crew’s Premier League cost.
The painful 2-1 loss at Wembley comes 4 days after the Reds exited the Champions League on penalties in opposition to Paris Saint-Germain, giving a way of anti-climax despite the fact that they’re virtually sure to be topped league champions.
Newcastle, choosing up their first main trophy for 56 years and their first home silverware for 70 years, outmuscled Liverpool in London, profitable courtesy of objectives from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak.
Federico Chiesa pulled one again in added time but it surely was too little, too late for the crew defending the trophy they received final 12 months in opposition to Chelsea.
Slot was requested after the match how he would make sure the defeat wouldn’t have a knock-on impact for the remainder of the season.
Liverpool, scorching favourites to match Manchester United’s document of 20 English top-flight titles, are 12 factors away from second-placed Arsenal on the prime of the Premier League with simply 9 matches to go.
“We’re right here in one of many greatest golf equipment on the earth, Liverpool, but it surely’s not for the primary time of their historical past or within the final two seasons that they’ve misplaced two video games in a row,” mentioned Slot.
“That is a part of taking part in soccer, particularly if certainly one of them is while you face the most effective crew in Europe for the time being and the opposite one is dealing with Newcastle, which is a really robust crew in England.”
– ‘Powerful week’ –
Slot admitted it had been a “robust week” however identified that his facet had prolonged their lead within the Premier League.
“I need to clarify another time that the week began off very well by us beating Southampton,” he mentioned. “That is why we prolonged our result in 12 factors with 9 video games to go (the state of affairs after Arsenal’s 1-0 in opposition to Chelsea on Sunday).
“And, yeah, you understand in the event you go far in tournaments that the opposition in your face will get stronger and stronger and that you may lose. Even Liverpool can lose soccer video games. That is what can occur.”
Slot denied his males had been outplayed by Eddie Howe’s Newcastle regardless of their sub-par efficiency.
“Outplayed for me is in the event you do not contact the ball they usually play via you each single time you attempt to press them and each time you are too late,” he mentioned. “That’s for me outplayed.
“However I agree with you in the event you say that they deserved to win as a result of the sport went in the best way they needed it to go. So, sure, they deserved to win but it surely wasn’t like we have been solely operating after them.
“We needed to defend a whole lot of lengthy balls, second balls and that is their energy.”
The Dutchman mentioned he would relatively have performed once more subsequent week than go into a global break — Liverpool are subsequent in motion in opposition to Everton within the Premier League on April 2.
“I’d have beloved to play subsequent week however now the state of affairs is that they go to their nationwide groups the place they must play two extra video games once more,” he mentioned.
“Then it is in all probability one and a half weeks earlier than we face Everton, which is once more a crew we already confronted and we all know how tough that one was. So let’s have a look at. I feel you need to alter.”
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