Liverpool
Van Dijk Urges Unity as Liverpool Seek Immediate Response
Van Dijk urges unity as Liverpool seek response after five defeats in six games; focus required soon
Liverpool arrive at a demanding moment after suffering five defeats in the club’s last six games. There has been speculation about Slot’s job being under threat, but those suggestions have been played down and Liverpool’s chiefs are said to still have “100% confidence” in the Dutchman.
With fixtures arriving quickly, the club must respond at once. A Carabao Cup fourth round tie against Crystal Palace, a side that has troubled Liverpool recently, provides the next opportunity.
In his prematch programme notes the captain pushed for a collective reaction. “My message ahead of this game is a simple one: we stick together, no matter what,” Van Dijk wrote. “We know that this is a difficult moment. We know that results and performances are not what we want them to be, and that will lead to pressure, scrutiny and criticism from the outside. We accept that.
“When you play for a club like Liverpool , it comes with certain standards and expectations. So when you fall short of those standards and don’t meet those expectations, you have to deal with what comes next. That’s just how it is.
“And then you have to show the right reaction. You have to look at yourself, show strength and character, work hard and find a way to bounce back. That is exactly what we will be looking to do this evening.”
Van Dijk went on to reflect on recent results. “Saturday was extremely disappointing, of course,” Van Dijk continued. “Having done well over in Frankfurt in the Champions League , we wanted to try to build on that down at Brentford. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do so, and to lose in the manner we did was a tough one to take, no doubt about it.
“The good thing about top-level football, though, is that there is always another game coming around quickly, another chance to put things right. There is no time to feel sorry for yourself, not when you are representing this football club.
“Our reaction must start now. I’ve said this many times previously, but everything starts with hard work, humility and togetherness. We are a team, and we must show that in both the good times and the not-so-good times. If we do, then I am confident we have the quality to get ourselves out of this difficult period.”
Writing in his own programme notes, Slot echoed similar themes and acknowledged the gap between expectations and recent performances. “It goes without saying that our recent form has not reached the standards that you expect of us or that we expect of ourselves,” Slot penned. “This is, of course, a major disappointment, especially given the positive start we made to the season.
“From our perspective, there are no excuses. Yes, we are aware of the reasons and we will discuss them, but the one thing we cannot and will not do is use them as an excuse. Our responsibility is to recognise what is happening and put things right. There is no other option.”
International
Liverpool keep cautious timeline after Isak omitted from Sweden squad
Isak omitted from Sweden squad; Liverpool cautious on his return, Slot rules him out until April…
Alexander Isak was left out of Sweden’s World Cup playoff squad, a development that confirmed the cautious stance Liverpool have taken over the striker’s comeback. The Sweden omission followed suggestions from his international manager Graham Potter that the playoffs could represent a potential return window, but Potter’s squad for the clash with Ukraine did not include Isak.
Potter accepted the limits of the situation. “There’s nothing we can do about it,” the former Chelsea manager lamented. “It’s sad to lose players due to injuries, it’s like that for all teams.” He added: “But we have a very good group, I believe in the squad and am sure that together we can find good solutions and focus on our task.” Sweden can call upon Arsenal’s Viktor Gyökeres in Isak’s absence and must beat Ukraine and then the winner of Poland’s semifinal with Albania to reach the 2026 World Cup.
Liverpool’s Arne Slot has repeatedly resisted setting a return date for the club’s record signing and was relieved by the international decision. The club remain focused on a Saturday lunchtime trip to Brighton which will be without Isak.
There was optimism when Isak was seen in an individual session with Liverpool this week, swapping running shoes for boots and getting a feel for the ball. Slot was quick to temper that enthusiasm. “As long as you don’t train with the team yet, you are not ready to play,” Liverpool’s head coach sternly warned, definitively ruling Isak out of any fixtures until April at the earliest.
Slot also stressed the graduated nature of the return. “And as we all know, if you’ve done for months only individual sessions, it’s also quite a step up to train with the team, and when you train with the team it’s quite a step up to play at Premier League intensity or Champions League intensity,” he said.
Those concerns are heightened by a demanding schedule. After Brighton the Reds face Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain in a compact period that includes FA Cup and Champions League quarterfinals, plus a Merseyside derby at Everton’s new home before the end of April. With Hugo Ekitiké’s minutes limited, having the option of introducing Isak late in matches could still prove valuable once he is fully ready.
Liverpool
Salah to Miss Brighton as Slot Offers Cautious Timeline for Recovery
Slot confirmed Salah will miss Brighton. Two-week break may aid recovery; return uncertain for club.
Mohamed Salah will not feature against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday after manager Arne Slot declined to guarantee the forward’s return following the international break.
The issue is described as a muscular problem that forced Salah to request permission to leave the pitch and head straight down the tunnel in the previous match. Slot called the sight of Salah walking off “unusual” and confirmed the player would be unavailable for the upcoming game: “As a result of that I think you can expect the outcome. So, [he’s] not available for tomorrow.”
Slot underlined the mixed implications of the schedule. “The good thing for Liverpool and for us is that we go to an international break,” Slot continued. “The bad thing for Egypt is that he can’t go there.” The manager said the injury is not thought to be particularly serious but indicated Salah is likely to need a handful of weeks on the sidelines.
“We are hoping also with what Mo has shown in the past, that he can recover faster than other players might in similar situations because he takes such good care of his body,” Slot continued. “History has shown that he can be earlier back than some others.
“But it’s only two weeks when we go again so let’s hope in that period of time he can be back.”
The international break gives Salah two weeks of focused recovery, but the calendar quickly presents high-stakes fixtures that Liverpool will prefer him to be fit for. April brings a sequence of significant matches: a trip to Manchester City in the FA Cup quarterfinals on April 4, the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against Paris Saint-Germain on April 8, a Premier League match at Fulham on April 11, the second leg with PSG on April 14 and a further fixture listed for Sunday, April 19.
Salah’s 2025/26 totals stand at 10 goals in 34 games, with an improved return since January of five goals and five assists in 14 appearances in 2026. Slot will be hoping the forward’s proven recovery record allows him to return in time for that crucial April run.
Liverpool
Salah reaches 50 Champions League goals, first African to hit the mark as Liverpool advance
Salah reached 50 Champions League goals, becoming the first African player to do so on Wednesday. 50
Mohamed Salah became the first African player to score 50 UEFA Champions League goals on Wednesday, a milestone that underpinned Liverpool’s progression to the quarterfinals.
The total places him joint 10th on the competition’s all-time list, level with Harry Kane and Thierry Henry. The vast majority of those strikes have come since his arrival at Liverpool in 2017. Two came for Basel and one for Roma. He made only two Champions League appearances at Chelsea and failed to score there.
Salah’s most prolific Champions League campaign was 2017–18, when he scored 10 times as Liverpool reached the final in Kyiv, losing to Real Madrid after he was forced off with a shoulder injury following a controversial early clash with Sergio Ramos.
After a remarkable 2024–25 season, his form has been more ordinary at times. A limited return in October and November resulted in him being dropped, but he produced a decisive performance on Wednesday. Even after an early setback when his penalty was saved, he continued to influence the match; Ekitiké was grateful for the assist, calling his veteran teammate a “legend,” while manager Arne Slot emphasised his mental qualities.
“It says a lot about him after you miss the penalty just before half time. That can sometimes be hard for an individual or for a team,” Slot commented afterwards.
“So, he assisted the first to Hugo, great assist, and then scored a trademark goal, I think, which he scored many of, in this stadium for this club, coming inside, finding the top corner. So, that tells you a lot about his mental strength.”
Salah has failed to start only one of 14 Liverpool fixtures since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations in January. That single absence was the weekend’s 1–1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur, a deliberate decision to rest him three days before Galatasaray’s visit. “Injury-wise, he was asking for a substitution, not because he thought he had scored enough, but that he felt something, so let’s see where he is for the weekend.”
With Liverpool due to meet Paris Saint-Germain at least twice more this season, Salah can add to his tally. The next inactive players ahead of him are Ruud van Nistelrooy (56) and Thomas Müller (57), with a larger gap to Raúl on 71. Active players nearby include Erling Haaland (57) and Kylian Mbappé (68).
