Dominik Szoboszlai has apologised to Liverpool supporters for appearing to confront them after the team’s 4-0 defeat to Manchester City last weekend, describing the incident as a “misunderstanding.”
Szoboszlai approached the away end at the Etihad after Liverpool were knocked out of the FA Cup by City and looked to be calling for more support after a number of fans had left the stadium early. The Hungary international has since been criticised in some quarters for his actions but he has insisted his behaviour was born out of frustration after another disappointing result.
“Yeah, to make it clear, maybe it was a misunderstanding between me and the fans,” Szoboszlai said ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League quarterfinal clash with Paris Saint-Germain. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way. Obviously, I know what the fans mean for this club and what this club means for the fans as well.
“As a player, we know we do everything for them as well as we do for us. So if it was a misunderstanding, then I apologize, but they can feel also that I’m not feeling better than them. I’m feeling exactly the same way as they do. And to make it clear that I’m with them, and we are with them. And I think hopefully they are with us as well.
“We’re gonna go all in [on Tuesday]. We’re gonna give our best from the minute one until the minute hopefully 90 because it can be enough, but maybe if it goes even more 120, 125. I think I can speak for all of the players, we want it so bad, we work for it so bad and in one game everything can happen at Anfield.”
Liverpool have a mountain to climb if they are to reach the semifinals of this season’s competition, having been beaten 2-0 in the first leg at the Parc des Princes. But head coach Arne Slot is confident his team has the quality to deliver something special when they host Luis Enrique’s side at Anfield.
“We have shown so many times in big games this season that we are able to get a great performance. We have also shown a completely different face, I am completely aware of that, but many of our games that we have played were very good as well. Especially in big games,” he said.
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“In the 49 home games we have played [under me], 36 times we were able to score two goals or more. Yes, we have not played all these 49 games against Paris Saint-Germain, I realise that, but the Premier League and Champions League opponents we had were very strong.
“So yes there is a belief we can do special things tomorrow but we need to be very, very, very special tomorrow to achieve that. We are playing the champions of Europe so that makes the task more difficult but not impossible.”
