Liverpool
Wirtz rebuts Van Dijk claim as Slot criticises defensive collapse after 4–0 defeat
Wirtz disputes Van Dijk’s ‘gave up’ line, after their 4–0 defeat; Slot singled out defensive errors.
Florian Wirtz has publicly pushed back against Virgil van Dijk’s assertion that Liverpool “gave up” during their 4–0 loss to Manchester City, while manager Arne Slot delivered a far sterner appraisal of how the goals were conceded.
Asked about Van Dijk’s comments before Wednesday’s meeting with Paris Saint-Germain, Wirtz said: “I didn’t know about this, that he said this,” and added: “But I think I would not agree directly because we still tried to create chances to turn the game around.” He acknowledged the psychological strain of a heavy deficit: “Of course, when the game gets longer, and it is in the 80th minute, and you are 3–0 down, it is mentally difficult to go and go and go.”
Wirtz defended his team’s effort through the closing stages. “We just tried to give our best in the game—also when it was 3–0 or 4–0. I think we also had a few chances then. This is not our standards that we lose 4–0 to City. We wanted to go through the round. Next year, we should go better and be better on the pitch.”
The result was particularly galling for supporters and the manager because of the manner in which the defeat unfolded. After an opening first-half blitz from Erling Haaland, the Liverpool defence began making a string of sloppy errors and the side failed to recover.
Slot, speaking to TNT Sports, made clear this was not an isolated worry: “It’s not the first time this season that we’ve conceded goals that were a concern to me.” He continued: “Now there were four in one game, four chances conceded, four goals conceded. That’s not the first time this season. I think many times this season we’ve only conceded one or two chances and those were goals.”
On the pattern of mistakes, Slot said: “So the manner we conceded them, I think I could separate them ‘two and two’ where every goal you concede something goes wrong, and you would like to improve something, but two out of the four were goals I hated more to concede than the other two.”
Liverpool
Klopp Included in Manchester City’s Artwork Marking Guardiola’s Ten Years
Manchester City included Jurgen Klopp in a commemorative poster for Pep Guardiola’s ten-year spells.
Manchester City elected to place Jürgen Klopp within a large poster celebrating Pep Guardiola’s decade at the club. The image, shared on X prior to kickoff, was presented as a detailed montage of Guardiola and the players who defined this period, with the club inviting supporters to “pinch and zoom to catch every detail.”
The artwork contains portraits of Guardiola and many City figures from the last ten years, including Vincent Kompany, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, Fernandinho and Rodri. The only person shown who is not connected to the Sky Blues was Klopp.
Klopp’s Liverpool teams were the most obvious challengers to City during the period covered. The 2018–19 title race saw City complete 14 straight wins to finish on 98 points while Liverpool won their final nine matches to finish on 97. That 97 remains the highest total recorded by a side that did not win the title and sits as the fourth highest points tally in the history of English league football. A year later Liverpool were champions with 99 points, and 2021–22 produced another close duel in which both clubs exceeded 90 points and City again edged the contest.
The public recognition underlined the mutual impact the two teams had on each other. Klopp has reflected on the relationship, noting in 2024 that “for a rivalry, we don’t need to be disrespectful.” Guardiola also paid tribute, saying, “We cannot define our period here without him … without Liverpool. Impossible.”
Andy Robertson carried the same theme into his final Liverpool appearance, pausing after the 1–1 draw with Brentford at Anfield to acknowledge City. “Pep Guardiola pushed us to completely new limits,” Robertson said live on Sky Sports. “I think both will agree with that. And, probably, we should have won more Premier Leagues if it wasn’t for that man. What a servant to Manchester City, and I wish him all the best.”
Klopp has not returned to management since leaving Liverpool two years ago and now works in a Head of Global Soccer role for Red Bull. Guardiola is set to move into an ambassadorial and technical advisory role for the City Football Group. “As a coach I’m not completely finished. I haven’t reached retirement age.”
Arsenal
Players Who Defined an Unsettling 2025/26 Premier League Season
Goalkeepers, long throws and midfield mastery cut a distinctive shape across 2025/26 Premier League.
A season that divided spectators nonetheless produced clear individual standouts. “Most of the games I see in the Premier League are not, for me, a joy to watch,” Liverpool manager Arne Slot admitted back in March, but within that contested landscape a handful of performers emerged with compelling cases for special recognition.
Between the posts, the familiar excellence of David Raya stood out. It is not normal to keep a clean sheet in more than half of your Premier League appearances and it certainly isn’t standard to win three consecutive Golden Gloves. It is increasingly normal for Raya to be the champions’ bravest passer and a defensive cornerstone.
Brentford’s Michael Kayode became a modern curiosity and a creative force. The fullback’s gender reveal in February — hurling a throw-in into an empty goal at the Gtech Community Stadium that prompted pink flares — captured his commitment to the long throw. “People think that you can play in the Premier League just because you have a good throw-in?” the Italy U21 international scoffed. “That’s crazy!” Kayode, a nominee for Best Young Player, completed the fourth-most dribbles in the division, ranking above Rayan Cherki, Bukayo Saka and Florian Wirtz, and helped drive the over-performing Bees upfield.
William Saliba approached defending with efficient precision, while Gabriel’s aggressive conception of beauty produced a consistently dominant campaign. “I think beautiful football is not only a beautiful pass,” the Brazilian theorized, “but also when you defend, the way you defend.”
Versatility shone at Manchester City through Nico O’Reilly, who spent most of the season at left back, offered ballast in Rodri’s absence and even operated as a box-crashing No. 8. “He has been a surprise,” Guardiola admitted, “even for me.”
Dominik Szoboszlai answered his own challenge: “I need to improve in a lot of things.” He did, dominating matches with a blend of power and finesse even as Liverpool colleagues did not match his trajectory.
At Manchester United, Casemiro rediscovered form, supplying defensive coverage and nine Premier League goals — a tally Ryan Giggs never matched for Manchester United after turning 22. Arsenal’s Declan Rice remained the team’s dependable linchpin after Arteta warned the squad their tilt would be a “roller coaster.” “There’s going to be ups, downs, so much talk,” the midfielder reflected. “The good thing with Declan is he’s so consistent, so reliable,” Arteta acknowledged.
Finally, Antoine Semenyo produced a standout season: after carrying Bournemouth’s frontline for six months he moved to Manchester City and, since his debut in January, no City player has matched his seven non-penalty Premier League goals.
Liverpool
End of an era: Salah’s record-packed nine years at Liverpool
Salah leaves Liverpool after nine seasons with 257 goals, 123 assists and nine trophies at Anfield.
The curtain has officially closed on Mohamed Salah’s nine-year spell with Liverpool, a period that fused extraordinary goalscoring with sustained success. A turbulent final campaign cannot erase a legacy built on relentless output and landmark achievements.
Salah announced himself from the off, scoring on his debut in the six-goal thriller with Watford in his first competitive match. By the time he left Anfield he had amassed 257 goals in 442 matches across all competitions, a total that underpins many of the records he set while at the club.
Those records are extensive. Salah finished as Liverpool’s top scorer in both the Premier League and the Champions League and stands as the most prolific African player in the history of English top-flight football. He recorded the most strikes in a debut season for the club, became the first Liverpool player to score 20 or more in eight consecutive campaigns and was the fastest Red to reach 100 goals.
Operating within the forward line that featured Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino, Salah was primarily a scorer but also an important creator. He registered 123 assists in all competitions for Liverpool. His final assist came in his last match at Anfield, a moment that summed up his technical quality: he burst away on the counter before sending a brilliant ball with the outside of his left boot to Curtis Jones, who converted to make the game a 1–1 draw with Brentford. That trivela added another entry to his record book, taking him to 93 Premier League assists for Liverpool and making him the outright club leader in that category.
The 33-year-old departed with nine trophies won at Anfield, including two Premier League titles, the Champions League and both domestic cup competitions. The Europa League remains the only competition he played in with Liverpool that he did not win. When supporters look back, Salah’s nine-year spell will be remembered as one of the defining chapters of the club’s recent history.
