Arne Slot cut a dejected figure after a bruising week but the Liverpool boss disagreed that Carabao Cup winners Newcastle had been ‘more hungry’ than his team to win the trophy.
Slot has lost two games in a row for the first time in his career, with dismal defeats by Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle meaning the prospect of winning three trophies this season has been dashed.
But the Liverpool boss refused to focus on the negatives and pointed to the fact his team have moved 12 points clear of Arsenal in the last week.
Slot said: ‘It took us seven months to lose twice in a row and it happened against two teams — one fighting for Champions League places and the other is PSG.
‘At the moment PSG are probably the best team in Europe but I want to make clear, the week started really well by us beating Southampton so the lead is 12 points. You know if you go further into tournaments that the opposition get stronger and stronger. And even Liverpool can lose games.
‘It is 70 years since they (Newcastle) last won a trophy but that is for the fans. The players have 15 years to play football and they want to win every single trophy they play for, and that is also what we want.
Arne Slot missed the chance to win his first trophy as Liverpool boss at Wembley on Sunday
Newcastle United beat Slot’s Premier League leaders 2-1 in the Carabao Cup final in London
Liverpool’s players looked dejected following the final whistle at England’s national stadium
At a post-match press conference, Slot rejected claims Newcastle had been ‘more hungry’
‘They got some extra energy with the goal, which they probably deserved, so I don’t think there was more hunger for them. The game went the way they wanted it to.’
Asked if Liverpool’s deficiencies were physical or mental, Slot replied: ‘Mentally is always hard to judge. Were we [at it] on Tuesday? No, but this was a game that had nothing to do with running, so you could not judge if we were tired.
‘There was nothing to press because they played over our press. A lot of set-pieces. The game was slow, not intense, so it’s difficult to judge if we were physically ready.
‘Mentally, I prefer to look at how the game went exactly the way they wanted — with a lot of duels and a lot through the air.
‘If we play 10 games of football through the air, they win nine times, which led to the first goal and the second.’
Liverpool do not play again until April due to the international break. But Slot wishes he could be straight back to work and added: ‘We are one of the biggest clubs in the world but it is not the first time they have lost two games in a row. I would have loved to play next week.’
