Arne Slot is heading into a crucial few days that could well dictate whether he remains as Liverpool manager next season.
On Tuesday, Liverpool face Paris Saint-Germain in the Uefa Champions League with the odds stacked against Slot's side reaching the semi-finals following a first-leg defeat in Paris last week.
Then at the weekend, they take on Merseyside rivals Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in the Premier League looking to maintain their top-five push.
Before that derby battle, they will need to conjure up another magical chapter in the pantheon of unforgettable European nights at Anfield following their first-leg loss. PSG run out 2-0 victors – a scoreline that hugely flattered a toothless Liverpool.
It was a result and performance that piled more pressure on Slot, whose decision to drop Mohamed Salah “to save his energy” and start the match with a back five backfired badly, coming just a few days after a 4-0 FA Cup humiliation by Manchester City.
The Merseysiders only managed nine touches of the ball in the opposition box as they failed to register a shot on target, while also conceding 74 per cent possession to the French champions at Parc des Princes.
They were also grateful that Ballon d'Or holder Ousmane Dembele missed a hat-trick of chances, including hitting the post late on, leaving Slot to concede that Liverpool “were in survival mode for large parts of the game” and that PSG “were the better team."
But the Dutch coach insisted on Monday that the squad believes “special things” can be achieved in the second leg.
“We have shown so many times in big games this season that we are able to get a great performance,” said Slot. “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.”
Slot made clear that there can be no repeat of PSG dominating possession like they did in the French capital if Liverpool want to drag themselves back into the tie.
PSG 2 Liverpool 0 – in pictures
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Desire Doue celebrates after scoring Paris Saint-Germain's first goal in their 2-0 Uefa Champions League quarter-final win over Liverpool. EPA -
PSG players celebrate after the Uefa Champions League quarter-final, first leg at Parc des Princes. EPA -
PSG's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia shoots at goal in the first half. Reuters -
PSG attacker Ousmane Dembele after missing a chance to make it 2-0. Reuters -
Desire Doue scores scores opening goal for PSG via a wicked deflection. EPA -
PSG's Warren Zaire-Emery is awarded a penalty for this Ibrahima Konate tackle but decision against Liverpool defender was reversed after pitchside monitor check. Getty Images -
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia celebrates with teammates after scoring PSG's second goal. EPA -
Liverpool's Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah was an unused substitute. AFP -
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia rounds Giorgi Mamardashvili before scoring. Getty Images -
Liverpool's Joe Gomez is shown a yellow card by referee Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez. Reuters
“We have to find the perfect balance between being offensive, but to be offensive you need to have the ball and to get the ball back you have to do so many things well before your attackers can attack,” he said.
“Tomorrow, two teams are facing each other who both would like to have the ball a lot. The last time we faced each other they had the ball for 74 per cent of the time, so that's the first thing we have to change tomorrow, to have the ball more.”
Salah returned to the starting XI and was back among the goals with a superb curling finish in Saturday's 2-0 Premier League win over Fulham, which came four minutes after teenager Rio Ngumoha had put Liverpool ahead.
Now they will have to move up the gears again if they are to achieve an unlikely comeback on Tuesday.
“We know we need an exceptional performance to go through, but that's normal if you're playing the champions of Europe and 2-0 down,” added Slot. “Let's make sure we can get back into the tie and the best way is scoring the first goal.
“Saturday showed the importance of a goal. First 20 minutes we were the better team by far. Then it was more even for 10 minutes and then we scored and scored again. That is what you can do in football. It happened in a negative way at City but a positive on Saturday.”
Reds captain Virgil van Dijk has called on his teammates and Liverpool fans to make it a "memorable night" at Anfield.
"We need something very special to happen otherwise we will have no chance," said the Dutch defender. "If we play like we did in Paris then we will have no chance anyway.
"The fans will probably be the most important factor ... I've been very lucky to experience those nights where the connection between the fans and the performance has been unbelievable.
"We have to remember we are Liverpool. We have to make it a memorable night."
PSG, meanwhile, enjoyed a weekend off from Ligue 1 duties to prepare for the second leg, a luxury that Liverpool were not given by the Premier League.
Manager Luis Enrique has also been able to name Bradley Barcola in his squad for the trip to England, giving the Spanish coach another attacking option.
The France forward has been out of action with an ankle problem picked up in PSG's Champions League last-16 second-leg win over Chelsea on March 17. The 23-year-old has scored 12 goals in 38 appearances this season.
