Florian Wirtz (foto: Getty Images)
Florian Wirtz disagrees with Van Dijk after Liverpool’s 4-0 loss to Man City, defending the team's effort and backing Arne Slot.
Liverpool’s heavy defeat to Manchester City has exposed differing views inside the dressing room, with Florian Wirtz openly disagreeing with captain Virgil van Dijk.
The 4-0 loss in the FA Cup drew strong criticism, especially from Van Dijk, who suggested the team lost belief during the match.
“You shouldn’t give up, and maybe at a certain point that’s what happened,” the Dutch defender said after the game.
Wirtz, however, sees it differently.
“I wouldn’t agree directly. We still tried to create chances to turn the game around,” the German midfielder explained.
He acknowledged the mental challenge of chasing a lost game but insisted the team kept pushing.
“When it’s 3-0 or 4-0, it’s difficult mentally, but we still tried. We had chances even then.”
The performance itself left little room for debate.
Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick, while Antoine Semenyo added another as City dominated at the Etihad.
Liverpool not only exited the competition but also raised concerns about their overall form and mentality.
Head coach Arne Slot partly backed his captain’s view.
“I missed the fighting spirit, especially after half-time,” he admitted.
The defeat adds pressure on Slot, despite winning the title in his first season and overseeing a major squad rebuild.
Still, Wirtz made it clear the players remain united behind their manager.
“We believe in the manager. We’ve had a lot of good games. We want to be better, and we still have things to play for.”
The situation highlights a key issue inside Liverpool.
While results have dipped, belief in the project remains, even if opinions differ on what went wrong against Manchester City.
The coming weeks will show whether the team can respond on the pitch and close the gap between performance and expectation.