Wirtz disagrees with VVD regarding Liverpool’s lack of effort against City.

Florian Wirtz has dismissed assertions made by Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk that the team surrendered during Saturday’s 4-0 FA Cup loss to Manchester City, but he emphasized that a lack of effort for the entire 90 minutes against Paris Saint-Germain will result in “no chance” for success in Wednesday’s Champions League quarterfinal first leg.

Liverpool is set to face last season’s Champions League champions in Paris just four days following their FA Cup defeat at the Etihad, a match that prompted thousands of Reds’ fans to exit the stadium early due to the poor display from Arne Slot’s squad.

Following the loss, defender Van Dijk remarked: “You shouldn’t give up and that’s maybe, at a certain point, what happened.”

However, addressing the media in Paris before the match, midfielder Wirtz stated that the players continued to generate opportunities against City, despite the unfavorable scoreline against Pep Guardiola’s team.

“I was not aware of what he [Van Dijk] mentioned, but I would not entirely agree because we still attempted to create chances to change the outcome,” Wirtz told reporters. “Naturally, as the game progresses and you find yourself 3-0 down in the 80th minute, it becomes mentally challenging to keep pushing, but we strive to give our best throughout the match.

“Even when it was 3-0 or 4-0, we still had a few opportunities, but it is not acceptable for us to lose 4-0 against City.”

Wirtz, a £116 million ($154 million) summer acquisition from Bayer Leverkusen, indicated that Liverpool must elevate their performance against PSG to maintain any chance of advancing into next week’s second leg at Anfield.

“Certainly, we need to bring 90 minutes of full energy and dedication tomorrow; otherwise, we will have no chance,” he stated. “We require 90 minutes of unity as a team, even during challenging moments.

“If we concede, we must remain united and believe we can still secure a victory, and we also have a second match at home.

“The Champions League is a significant competition; these matches are always unique, so we aim to enjoy this round.

“We recognize the difficulty since the best teams in the world compete in the Champions League, but it is beneficial to face these teams, and I believe we have demonstrated this season that we perform well in crucial matches, particularly in Champions League encounters.

“We have confidence in ourselves; we possess a strong group with commendable characters and talented players, along with a capable manager who prepares us well for the game.

“Having the second leg at home could be an advantage, so we will strive to achieve a favorable result to take back to Anfield.”

Liverpool manager Arne Slot, who announced that £125 million ($166 million) forward Alexander Isak is now fit to be included on the substitutes’ bench after a four-month absence due to a broken leg, is facing mounting pressure due to the team’s inability to build on last season’s Premier League title triumph.

The Champions League represents Liverpool’s sole remaining opportunity for silverware this season, but Slot noted that the club’s historical success in the competition—Liverpool being six-time winners—demonstrates their potential to salvage something from this campaign.

“It is entirely accurate that our performances and results have been inconsistent throughout the season,” Slot stated. “However, the answer lies in Liverpool’s history.

“This club has consistently shown resilience in challenging moments. We have risen to the occasion several times this season, only to falter again.

“This club has proven that we can achieve remarkable things under difficult circumstances, so the answer is found in Liverpool’s history, though it is easier said than done.

“We have exhibited far too many instances this season where we have experienced phases in matches, but this group has repeatedly shown the ability to recover from setbacks, and this club has done so many more times.

“Aside from the quality my team possesses, we have demonstrated on numerous occasions this season that we can compete with the top teams in Europe, with the exception of two matches at the Etihad.”