Florian Wirtz disagrees with Van Dijk and explains why Liverpool players believe in Arne Slot

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Florian Wirtz has disagreed with Virgil van Dijk's suggestion that Liverpool "gave up" against Man City at the weekend, when Arne Slot's men were hammered 4-0 in the FA Cup

Liverpool attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz.(Image: Molly Darlington/Getty Images)

Liverpool star Florian Wirtz says he disagrees with Virgil van Dijk on the Reds "giving up" too easily against Manchester City, insisting that he and his teammates are behind Arne Slot.

Van Dijk spoke with reporters at the Etihad Stadium and suggested that Liverpool had stopped playing when they fell heavily behind, despite starting the FA Cup quarter-final on top. After conceding once, the Reds then quickly collapsed.

"I didn't know that he said this," Wirtz said in a press conference ahead of taking PSG in the Champions League when he was asked about Van Dijk's comments. "I would not agree directly.

"We tried to create chances to turn the game around. When the game gets longer and it is in the 80th minute and you are 3-0 back, it is mentally difficult to go and go and go.

"We tried to give our best in the game and when it was 3-0 or 4-0, we still had a few chances. Of course, this is not our standards that we lose 4-0.

"We wanted to go through this round. Next year, we should go better and be better on the pitch."

Florian Wirtz of Germany and Liverpool(Image: Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

Slot has come under pressure from various quarters across the course of this season, though the Liverpool head coach could still turn things around. And Wirtz was asked directly if the players are still behind him.

"Yes, of course," Wirtz responded. "We are believing in the manager. The team should believe in the manager as they won the league last season.

"We have had a lot of good games this season. We wanted it to be better but it is what it is now.

"We still have things to play for and everything I can say to that is that we believe in the manager and try to get our best on the pitch tomorrow."

This is the first time that Wirtz has played in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

"These are the games you want to play as a player," Wirtz added. "I dreamt of when I came to this club, so we try everything to do a good game tomorrow and next week also at Anfield.

"These are the game you want to play as a player. We had a few good games in the league as well, but maybe it shows the Premier League is a tough league and anyone can beat anyone.

"Champions League nights are always a bit different, you meet different clubs from different countries with different playing styles. Until now we've enjoyed it. We are just looking forward to facing PSG tomorrow."