Slot says Liverpool ready for PSG as Reds find ‘extra gear’ | OneFootball

Arne Slot has said Liverpool are ready for the challenge of facing Paris Saint-Germain next week with his team having found an ‘extra gear’ in recent weeks.

Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to 13 points with a 2-0 win over Newcastle at Anfield. Goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister sealed an important win for the Reds, who boast a huge lead with 10 games to go.

After the game, Slot was asked whether Liverpool feel the title is ‘close’. He said his focus remains only on the next game, starting with a huge Champions League showdown against PSG next week.

“I don’t know because I don’t think that way. I think about Paris Saint-Germain already,” he said at his post-match press conference.

“What you don’t know but what I do know because I watched them against City, because we played City, and I’m impressed by the quality they have. I think they are in a similar run as we are – hardly lost any single game for a long time. Though I’m not always correct in data because two days ago my son told me that I made a big, big, big mistake by saying Cristiano Ronaldo never played in the Premier League!

“So, I’m not sure if Paris Saint-Germain has the same run as ours but they are doing really well. So, my main focus is on Paris Saint-Germain. I forget the league table now, I forget the Premier League now until the moment we’ve played Paris Saint-Germain and then I will start to think about the Premier League again.”

PSG are the only team unbeaten domestically across Europe’s top five leagues this season. The French champions reached the Round of 16 after thrashing Brest 10-0 on aggregate but Slot said his team fear no opponent.

“I don’t think we fear teams. I don’t think the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Real Madrid, these kind of clubs don’t fear opponents. But we definitely respect them and there’s a reason for that, and that’s what you just said – that they won so many games in a row and they have so many quality players.

“I think it’s going to be a very interesting game for everybody who loves football. I would be surprised if people who are neutral watch a different game than that one because I think everyone – including Paris Saint-Germain and us – are looking forward to the game.”

Slot believes his side have found an ‘extra gear’ at a crucial time of the season, having navigated tough tests against Everton, Wolves, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Newcastle without losing a game.

“I think what impressed me most was the mental strength in both games. Because after Everton, a bit [after] Wolves, maybe a bit after the Villa game, people started to question us a bit and normally when players or people get questions, you always see extra work-rate. That’s quite normal and what I saw us doing against City. But if you get a lot, a lot, a lot of compliments, eight out of 10 people get a bit complacent – but only the ones that want to achieve something don’t.

“That mentality of these two out of 10 I saw tonight because they just found an extra gear to work even harder. We weren’t perfect – I think we lost more simple balls than we usually do – but the mentality was great again, as well as the squad performance.”

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