Virgil van Dijk is right about Liverpool 'bare minimum' - what Arne Slot needs next is clear
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Liverpool center-back Virgil van Dijk was gutted to exit the Champions League against PSG, with the Reds ultimately paying the price for being 2-0 down from the first legArne Slot and Virgil van Dijk after PSG knocked Liverpool out of the Champions League.(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)Exiting the Champions League at the hands of the holder, Liverpool battled and fought at Anfield. Ultimately, though, there was a clear difference between the Reds and a more clinical and technically gifted PSG.Though Liverpool gave it a good go, Ousmane Dembele's opener on the night put an end to any hopes of Arne Slot's side progressing into the semi-finals, and the French forward still had time to grab another late on."That's the bare minimum, isn't it?" Reds skipper Virgil van Dijk said when asked about Liverpool giving it their best shot despite being 2-0 down from the first leg at the Parc des Princes.READ MORE: Arne Slot makes transfer admission moments after Liverpool knocked out of Champions LeagueREAD MORE: Luis Enrique makes feelings clear after Liverpool made PSG 'suffer a lot'"It's disappointing to be knocked out but PSG deserved to go through.
In the first game, that was surrendered in hope of holding on for only a marginal defeat; in the return, it just didn't quite click.Alexander Isak was brought into the side from the off, but he was only ever going to be able to play 45 minutes as he continues to regain match sharpness — a process that has been ongoing, in part because of a broken leg, ever since he arrived.Hugo Ekitike was also stretched off after half an hour, so the new-look front line that Liverpool is likely to view as its Mohamed Salah succession plan lasted only a sixth of the double-header.Virgil van Dijk consoles Mohamed Salah after Liverpool's exit from the Champions League(Image: (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images))Florian Wirtz was the only one who remained on the field after the interval, but while he did create some chances for those around him, the final touch and a bit of extra quality at the vital moments was missing."I think we made a lot of progression compared to last week," Slot insisted said in his post-match press conference."I have to give a lot of credit to the players for how hard they worked. That's what they did."Unfortunately, it's one of the many examples of this season where we weren't able to score from the many chances we had.
Again, we were so underperforming in terms of xG and that is just an ongoing thing with us throughout the whole season."Get LFC's 2025/26 season home and away kitsThis article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. It will obviously be a tough one but it is something to look forward to."But at this stage, I'm just not in a good place because we got knocked out of the Champions League.