Slot hails PSG 'the most complete team' as Reds looks to finish the job at Anfield

After enduring the toughest night of his Anfield reign in the Parc des Princes last week, the Dutchman knows they have to raise their game for the second leg of their last-16 tie against Paris St Germain.

Mon, 10 Mar, 2025 - 19:51

Carl Markham

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot admits they will have to produce their best performance of the season to ensure Champions League progress against "the most complete team we have faced".

After enduring the toughest night of his Anfield reign - and the most difficult for the players in a long time - in the Parc des Princes last week but still coming away with a 1-0 victory, the Dutchman knows they have to raise their game for the second leg of their last-16 tie against Paris St Germain.

The talk in the French capital after Liverpool snatched a backs-to-the-wall win was that PSG had encountered better teams in the form of Bayern Munich and Arsenal this season.

However, Slot has promised they will be more proactive and not sit back on their slender advantage.

"Is there a difference (leading 1-0)? No. We try to play every game to try to win," he said. "That is also what we tried to do last week, it wasn't our intention to be so low (deep) all the time.

"(On Tuesday) we want to play a different game, the intention is always the same - we are not going to go for a draw.

"At Manchester City away that wasn't the situation, at PSG that wasn't the situation. But we do take confidence from our home game against City where we did have the ball much more and it was much more of an equal game."

Asked whether it would require their best performance under him so far, Slot added: "Yes. I do think so. This is the most complete team we have faced so far.

"We have faced Arsenal and City and they are not big margins but the intensity they (PSG) play at combined with the quality - and they are one of the richest clubs - and a great manager it is not easy to play against."

Statisticians have predicted Liverpool, incredibly, have an 84 per cent chance of progressing and history would appear to be on their side as on the 39 previous occasions they have won the first leg of a European tie they have gone through.

Their record at Anfield is formidable, having lost just once - in September - since April having won all but two of their other home matches this season.

"Some of them have said Arsenal and Bayern Munich were better than us. That is what I have heard," said Slot on the French view of his team.

"I think what that has to do with is how PSG improved a lot in the two to three months since they played at Arsenal and Bayern.

"At Arsenal they were lower, waiting much more and now they just press all over the pitch and take the risk of one-v-one constantly.

"I cannot influence what they felt - and don't even know if it is true or not - but I'm hoping they have a different opinion after (Tuesday)."

Slot has been boosted by the return of forward Cody Gakpo after an injury.

Slot's captain Virgil van Dijk is expecting an even tougher test at Anfield than in the Parc des Princes last week. Having been dominated by the Ligue 1 champions in a way rarely, if ever, seen in recent seasons the Reds were fortunate to snatch a 1-0 victory. Enrique's side arrive on Merseyside knowing they have to score to stand a chance of progressing and Van Dijk believes that could make them even more dangerous.

"I think they are an outstanding team, a fantastic team, you can see the work rate they put in," he said.

"We obviously had a debrief after the game about it and you could see them, if they lost the ball, pressing all of them together and running all together. It's a big credit to the manager to put that work in and he made, in my eyes, a world-class team out of it.

"It will be tough on Tuesday and you will all see. I think anyone who before our game over there expected it to be a dominating performance from us I don't think they really looked at PSG throughout the season.

"We were prepared very well, obviously we could have done better in some ways, but we know that on Tuesday it is going to be as tough, maybe even tougher, because they will have to come and win.

"So it's down to us to be more than ready for a big night. We need everyone in that sense: all the players, staff, fans.

"Hopefully it will be a great night for us but it is going to be hard work because they are a world-class team and they showed it against us already."