Wirtz Disagrees with Van Dijk's Claim That Liverpool Gave Up Against Manchester City

Liverpool's Florian Wirtz has expressed disagreement with captain Virgil van Dijk's assertion that the team gave up during their crushing 4-0 FA Cup defeat to Manchester City. Wirtz stated that although the game was mentally challenging, especially after conceding the third goal, the team continued to try and create scoring opportunities. Liverpool manager Arne Slot also shared Wirtz's sentiment, suggesting that while the team struggled after conceding the third goal, he did not see players giving up. The comments come ahead of Liverpool's Champions League quarter-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain, a match that poses another significant challenge for the team. Van Dijk's criticism followed the FA Cup loss, where he stated that coming back from a 3-0 deficit is difficult, but giving up should not be an option. Wirtz, however, believes that the team's efforts to create chances and push forward, even when the game seemed out of reach, demonstrate that they did not give up. Slot emphasized the importance of maintaining a high level of performance throughout the entire game, citing the team's collapse against Manchester City as an example of what can go wrong if they drop their level. The manager warned that a similar performance against PSG would likely result in another heavy defeat. Despite the recent setbacks, Wirtz expressed confidence in the team's ability to perform well in big games, particularly in the Champions League, and affirmed that the players still believe in Slot. The team is looking to bounce back from the FA Cup loss and secure a positive result against PSG, with Wirtz acknowledging that anything less than their best effort would make for a difficult evening.