Programme notesArne Slot: The need for improvement is clear - we must step up our levels
Arne Slot says the 'need for improvement could not be clearer', adding that his Liverpool team must step up a 'number of levels' to meet the challenge of Paris Saint-Germain.
The Reds host the second leg of their last-16 contest with the reigning Ligue 1 champions this evening (8pm GMT kick-off) at Anfield.
Harvey Elliott's solitary strike in Paris last week earned Slot's charges a slender 1-0 advantage in the tie, with goalkeeper Alisson Becker's stunning performance earning the plaudits during a hard-fought match in the French capital.
Writing in his matchday notes for the return game, the Liverpool head coach says: "Anyone who watched last week's first leg will know what is at stake tonight and also the quality of our opposition. This is why I have described this game as a final - if we want to win it, we are going to have to put absolutely everything on the line because nothing else will be good enough.
"I have spoken a lot about PSG in the days since we played them, mainly because it is clear how impressed people were with their performance against us. While I share that level of admiration, we were in no way surprised. The work we had done in the build-up to the game in Paris indicated that PSG had been the best-performing team in Europe so far this season and the way they played confirmed this.
"That we were able to come away with a narrow victory was due to a number of factors - most notably an incredible display by our goalkeeper - and we could not have been happier with the result in circumstances that were so, so, testing. But at the same time, we know we will have to be much, much better tonight. The need for improvement could not be clearer.
"The standards that we set ourselves are always high, which is why it is unacceptable when we fall below them. This happened in the first half of our game against Southampton on Saturday and we saw how difficult any game can be if we do not show the football characteristics that others expect of us, and we expect of ourselves. This cannot happen tonight.
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"The idea for tonight is that the energy levels we will play with will be much higher than they were in that first half. They will also be higher still than they were in the second half even though we produced a much better performance in that period. The intensity that PSG produced against us set a standard and we have to meet that challenge. This means stepping up a number of levels.
"I said last week that if you want to win any major trophy there is always going to be a game or two along the way when you need to be lucky, but at the same time history tells us that relying on good fortune is not the best possible route to success. Ultimately, it is performance that has always mattered most and will always matter most so while we would never turn down a lucky win, we know that playing our best football will always give us our best chance.
"I would like to welcome Luis Enrique and the staff, players and supporters of PSG to Anfield for tonight's game. Our two clubs shared an incredible spectacle in Paris last week and I am sure it was a game that created a lot of interest in Europe, just as this one will. I said immediately afterwards that Luis has put together an incredible team and that is testament to the work he has done since becoming manager less than two years ago.
"Tonight, though, PSG will not just play against Liverpool, they will also play against Anfield and against our fans. This is an advantage that we have had for many years, and it is one that we have to make the absolute most of. I asked our fans to turn up on Saturday and the response was good, especially in the second half when energy levels on the pitch improved, but tonight we need it to be even better.
"In the short time I have been here we have already had a couple of wonderful European nights and when those occasions come along the atmosphere is as good as anywhere in the world. What I have learned since being here is that Anfield is at its very best when the noise does not stop. It isn't just the songs - although the more of them we can hear the better – it is a constant noise that makes the stadium so difficult for our opponents to play in.
"It feels like I have asked a lot of our supporters lately, but this is only because I know what you can deliver and what a huge difference it can make to us as a team. The aim tonight is simple – to produce the best Liverpool performance that we possibly can on and off the pitch."