Distraught Arne Slot reacts to Liverpool thrashing against PSV in UEFA Champions League – ‘Emotions are negative and disappointing’

The chastening defeat was Liverpool’s third by a three-goal margin in succession, following 3-0 defeats to Nottingham Forest and Manchester City in the Premier League.

Speaking to TNT Sports, Slot praised his side’s initial reaction to going behind, but did not hide from the negativity following another disappointing defeat.

“(In the) last weeks, every time the same question. The emotions are very negative and disappointing,” Slot said.

“I’ll have to be positive about the reaction of the players after we went 1-0 down because until half-time we played a very good game.

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“After another disappointment, we came back into the game. We had enough chances to go 2-1 up. At half-time, I don’t think anyone would have expected us to lose this game 4-1.”

On whether his side had the chances to take a lead against PSV, Slot added: “We did, until half-time. After half-time, we conceded quite early for 2-1. Even after, we had good chances for 2-2, then 10-15 minutes before the end we conceded another goal. Yeah, hard to take.”

Slot again pointed towards his side’s first-half reaction to the opening goal as a positive, but explained the toll his side’s recent plight can have on their “mentality”.

“It isn’t always easy, but that’s why, after we concede the first one, I think we saw the reaction I want to see. It’s not easy because we had a big loss at the weekend,” Slot said.

“The mentality was as you were hoping it to be, but it’s not always so easy if you had so many disappointments. The end result was 4-1, and that’s another big loss.”

The Dutchman in part attributed Liverpool’s second-half demise to the disintegration of their press, which was initiated by a slight back injury to Hugo Ekitike, who made way for Alexander Isak on 61 minutes.

“I liked the way we reacted in transition a lot,” Slot said. “We could keep them in their half almost all the time.

“There were parts of the second half we weren’t able to. I constantly felt what’s wrong with Hugo; it felt (like) he couldn’t move as he did in the first half. That’s why our press was a little bit off.

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“He said he felt his back. Not that it’s only about him, but we couldn’t bring the same power in our pressing as we could in the first 45.”

The defeat was Liverpool’s ninth in their last 12 matches, a run stretching back to the end of September, and Slot urged his side to front up to their upcoming schedule – which begins against a resurgent West Ham United on Sunday.

“The only way to go is to face what we are in,” Slot said. “Fight really hard.

“It would be nice if we don’t get this knock every time we concede a goal. The feeling I have, and the players will have the same, is that after 45 minutes, you don’t expect to be 1-1.

“It’s hard but the reaction of the players, especially first half and after 2-1, is the reaction you expect of a Liverpool player.”