Liverpool in 'defining moment' of their season after third successive defeat, Arne Slot says

AFC BournemouthArsenalAston VillaBrentfordBrighton & Hove AlbionBurnleyChelseaCrystal PalaceEvertonFulhamLeeds UnitedLiverpoolManchester CityManchester UnitedNewcastle UnitedNottingham ForestSunderlandTottenham HotspurWest Ham UnitedWolverhampton WanderersScores & ScheduleStandingsFantasyThe Athletic FC NewsletterPodcastsPL PredictionsIntroducing 'The Ref'Analysing the Title RaceLiverpool in ‘defining moment’ of their season after third successive defeat, Arne Slot saysLiverpool lost 2-0 in the first leg of their UCL quarter-final against PSG and are fifth in the league Justin Setterfield/Getty Images Share full articleLiverpool head coach Arne Slot has said that Liverpool are entering a defining week of their season. After being knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester City on Saturday, followed by a 2-0 defeat in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final to Paris Saint-Germain midweek, the Merseyside club’s season is teetering on the brink of collapse. Liverpool are in poor form having suffered three defeats in a row and time is running out for them to turn their season around. “Yes (it is a defining moment), and that’s completely normal at the end of the season,” Slot told reporters during his pre-Fulham press conference on Friday. “That’s not only for us, that’s for all of the teams. “These are defining moments and periods of time. We have given ourselves not the best situation to be in but, as you said, Paris kept us alive. We are still in that tie and there are two massive games in the league coming up and afterwards five more and hopefully a few more in the Champions League as well but first the focus should be on Fulham and that’s where the focus is.” Slot’s side will play two league games starting with Fulham before the Merseyside derby against Everton as they aim to keep their Champions League qualification hopes alive. In between those games they will face the second leg against PSG at Anfield. Goalkeeper Alisson Becker remains out with a hamstring issue, but Alexander Isak returned to action for the first time against PSG since he suffered a serious broken leg injury against Tottenham in December. There are no new injury concerns following the defeat in Paris, and while Slot agreed that his squad was in the best shape it has been for some time, he admitted that he would have to assess the fitness of certain players like defenders Jeremie Frimpong and Joe Gomez to prevent a risk of injury. “Yesterday was a recovery day and let’s see where a few of our players are because not all of our players are able and capable of playing three days later another intense game so lets see what the line-up brings,” Slot said. “If I go into my office and look at my list I’m seeing three defenders injured — Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni and a player who can play at centre-back Wataru Endo — and two of the players I’m worried about for tomorrow will be Jeremie Frimpong and Joe Gomez. “It is the best it has been this season, the bench against PSG, it was the best bench we had throughout the whole season but sometimes things don’t look as good as it might be. “That Alex (Isak) is available for us again is vital because it was hard for us to convert chances into goals and he’s been a goalscorer his whole life. It was only 15 minutes but it is good to have him back and hopefully we can progress his minutes and he can grow to his form as soon as possible.” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Andrew Jones is a Staff Writer for The Athletic covering Burnley FC and Liverpool FC. Having graduated from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class Honours Degree in Sports Journalism, Andrew has had written work published for the Liverpool Echo, Chelsea FC and Preston North End. Follow Andy on Twitter @adjones_journo