Football Daily | The Curious Case Of Arne Slot’s Paris Romance And Liverpool’s Slump

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Arne Slot tries his champion not to choke up erstwhile he talks of last year’s meeting betwixt Liverpool and PSG. “I dream each instrumentality astir nan world was hoping this crippled wouldn’t extremity because it was incredible,” he blubbed successful March 2025. His squad had conscionable mislaid connected penalties to nan soon-to-be Bigger Cup winners. “It was nan champion crippled of shot that I was ever progressive in.” If nan Slot authorities comes to its extremity this summer, pinch a important groundswell of sentiment among Kopites nodding successful that direction, past it is funny he keeps returning to an infamous European nighttime astatine Anfield which whitethorn good beryllium nan opening of nan end. A fewer days later, Liverpool deservedly mislaid a Fizzy Cup final to a overmuch much inspired Newcastle. Things person ne'er rather been nan aforesaid since, contempt a 20th convention title being claimed successful April.

Slot will ever person Paris. “My shot is Paris Saint-Germain v Liverpool, Liverpool v Paris Saint-Germain,” Slot cooed aft Fulham’s Harrison Reed had scored a last-minute equaliser against his squad successful January. “That is really I would emotion to person each azygous game, but you request to person 2 teams to person an unfastened crippled of shot and not each these things that don’t make a crippled of shot nice.” On Wednesday, Slot will doubtless beryllium wearing his champion Harrington overgarment and splashing connected nan Lynx Africa erstwhile Liverpool return to Paris for a Bigger Cup rekindling of his ecstatic romance. He could hardly incorporate himself aft beating Galatasaray successful nan past 16 group up nan reunion, mooning: “I’ve said galore times that it was nan champion crippled I’ve managed successful my career, moreover though we lost, successful position of really it was played pinch some teams playing shot nan measurement it should beryllium played and wanting to entertain nan fans.”

Problematically for Slot and Liverpool, a fortnight wide previewed arsenic 2 weeks to relaunch nan Reds began pinch that FA Cup capacity astatine Manchester City. Liverpool were playing rather well, Curtis Jones truthful afloat of assurance he was showing disconnected his champion back-heels and lollipops. Then Virgil van Dijk chopped down Nico O’Reilly. From that moment, disaster followed and erstwhile Erling Haaland had made it 4-0 successful nan 57th minute, overmuch of nan distant contingent were heading for nan Etihad stairways.

The show of Dominik Szoboszlai, nan 1 subordinate whose capacity levels person sustained, giving it nan large 1 backmost to unhappy fans, was unhelpful to opportunity nan least. Then again, truthful were nan performances of Szoboszlai’s teammates, pinch Van Dijk’s trademark cool reduced to Coldplay levels and Mohamed Salah looking little nan sixth-best subordinate successful Liverpool history than nan 6,000th. Not each is blamed connected Slot, pinch nine suits likewise debased successful nan fame ratings, but submission astatine City was a premier illustration of his squad being a soft touch. “You shouldn’t springiness up,” wailed Van Dijk. To Wednesday: Slot getting fluttery again? Down and retired successful Paris and Liverpool?

LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE

Join Yara El-Shaboury astatine 8pm BST for Bigger Cup updates connected Sporting 1-1 Arsenal successful nan first limb of their quarter-final, while Rob Smyth will beryllium connected manus astatine nan aforesaid clip for Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“You can’t shingle this caller wont of ever looking around. I’m much observant and hide much erstwhile I’m changing earlier games and aft games. More wide I’m much observant excessively – erstwhile I spell to a nationalist excavation it’s not for illustration it was before, I effort to not expose myself excessively overmuch moreover erstwhile I’m successful a backstage cubicle” – FC Slovacko’s Kristyna Janku reflects connected nan aftershocks from learning her erstwhile coach Petr Vlachovsky had been caught secretly filming successful nan women’s team’s dressing room for 4 years.

Kristyna Janku has described herself arsenic “one of nan luckier girls” successful position of nan psychological effect near by nan crimes of erstwhile coach Petr Vlachovsky.

double quotation markWith Aaron Ramsey having been without a nine since nan extremity of past twelvemonth and now retiring, it looks for illustration we’ve moved from players announcing their status who we weren’t moreover alert were still playing to players announcing their status who were already retired but weren’t alert of it themselves” – Noble Francis.

double quotation markDear Arsenal, really do you prolong this insane consistency successful blowing your chances? Every. Single. Time. Players travel and go. Managers enactment and leave. The only changeless is nan fans’ anguish. What wizardry will you wield now to manus complete nan title to Manchester City?” – Krishna Moorthy.

double quotation markRe Thursday’s letters. John Groom is correct that not galore Aussies usage flamin’, but you don’t person to beryllium Stefan Kuntz, Danny Sh1ttu aliases Christian Fuchs to cognize our modern alternatives aren’t ever printable” – Rowan Sweeney.

double quotation markNo-one says flamin’ anymore John, but astir of america still person a flamin’ consciousness of humour” – Greg Wyatt.

If you person any, please nonstop letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless missive o’ nan time victor is … Rowan Sweeney. Terms and conditions for our competitions, erstwhile we tally them, are here.

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Our resident cartoonist, David Squires, connected the shocks and flops from nan FA Cup quarter-finals.

David Squires animation connected nan FA Cup 4th finals successful 2026

RECOMMENDED LISTENING

Listen up! It’s Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning and nan remainder of nan Football Weekly pod squad with a look back astatine nan weekend’s news and action. And you tin watch nan pod here if you for illustration that benignant of thing.

The latest Women’s Football Weekly has besides dropped, pinch Faye Carruthers, Suzy Wrack, Tom Garry and Anne-Marie Batson assessing nan FA Cup quarter-finals and a melodramatic run-in astatine some ends of nan WSL 2 table.

RECOMMENDED ORDERING

We’ll beryllium giving distant copies of nan Classic Football Shirts book soon. To get you successful nan mood, here’s a clip of Big Website’s visit to nan shop successful Manchester and immoderate chat astir Jorge Campos. You’ve sewage to emotion that retro polyester. And if you want to pre-order a transcript from nan Guardian Bookshop, you tin do truthful here.