Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has expressed deep concern after captain Virgil van Dijk and midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai admitted the team lacked fighting spirit and “gave up” during their 4-0 FA Cup thrashing by Manchester City.
Steven Gerrard has slammed the post-match conduct of Liverpool’s senior players following their quarter-final exit.
The former captain was alarmed by Virgil van Dijk’s admission that the team surrendered, alongside Dominik Szoboszlai’s frustration with supporters.
Gerrard noted, “At Liverpool Football Club, that can’t happen on the pitch and it certainly can’t be said off the pitch,” labeling the lack of mentality as deeply “concerning.”
The criticism follows a second-half collapse where City scored four goals in 20 minutes.
Van Dijk apologized for the performance, stating, “you shouldn’t give up, and that’s maybe what happened at a certain point.”
Szoboszlai echoed this, admitting “the fighting spirit wasn’t there enough.” For Gerrard, these admissions represent a slip in standards, describing the current atmosphere at Anfield as “worrying times.”