Slot rejects claims of Liverpool fatigue after EFL Cup heartbreak

Liverpool supervisor Arne Slot dismissed solutions his aspect’s 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United within the EFL Cup remaining was the product of fatigue following their penalty shootout loss to Paris Saint-Germain within the Champions League.

The Reds have been favourites to assert their first trophy below Slot, who has overseen an excellent first season in cost since taking up from Jurgen Klopp, with Liverpool 12 factors away from Arsenal on the prime of the Premier League.

However they have been undone by an excellent efficiency from Newcastle, who took a 2-0 lead by objectives from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak earlier than Federico Chiesa pulled one again in stoppage time.

An underwhelming Liverpool show got here 5 days after they let slip a first-leg lead over PSG of their last-16 tie, a pulsating second leg ultimately going all the way in which to penalties, through which Gianluigi Donnarumma shone to ship the Ligue 1 leaders by.

Liverpool appeared bereft of vitality at Wembley, however Slot wouldn’t cite fatigue as an element, as a substitute pointing to a direct method from Newcastle that supervisor Eddie Howe admitted he had saved near his chest when the 2 sides met at Anfield final month as the principle cause for his staff’s demise.

“Mentally is all the time troublesome to evaluate,” Slot informed reporters when requested if his aspect have been drained.

“Had been we on Tuesday mentally or bodily drained? No, however this recreation had nothing to do with operating, this recreation had solely to do with enjoying duels.

“And there was no depth when it comes to operating on this recreation in any respect, we can’t even decide it if we have been drained bodily, sure or no, as a result of we couldn’t press them.

“You may decide a staff if they’re drained in the event that they press, however there was nothing to press as a result of they performed over our press.

“In the event that they acquired a goal-kick or free-kick, each time they introduced it to our final line which led to a number of set items.

“So the sport was sluggish and never intense, so it’s troublesome to evaluate, for me, if we have been bodily prepared. Mentally, that could be a troublesome one.

“Should you take a look at the consequence and the efficiency you would possibly really feel it [the PSG game] did one thing to us, however I desire to have a look at how the sport went, and this recreation went precisely how they needed it to be.

“A battle with a number of duels, and a number of duels by the air, and if we performed 10 occasions a recreation of soccer by the air in opposition to them they win most likely 9 occasions as they’re stronger within the air than us.”

Liverpool could have time to recover from the frustration of this week, with a world break permitting them the chance to regroup forward of the Merseyside derby with Everton on April 2.

On whether or not that break had come at time for his staff, Slot stated: “We’re one of many largest golf equipment on the earth, Liverpool. However it’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.

“That is a part of enjoying soccer, particularly if one in every of them is whenever you face the very best staff in Europe in the intervening time, and the opposite one is dealing with Newcastle, which is a really robust staff in England.

“I might’ve liked to play subsequent week. However now the state of affairs is that they go to their nationwide groups, the place they’ve two extra video games once more. Then it’s most likely one-and-a-half weeks earlier than we face Everton, which is once more a staff we already confronted. We all know how troublesome that one was. Let’s see.”