Girona0 - 1Liverpool

Arne Slot's side triumphed 1-0 against their Spanish opponents on Tuesday - their sixth victory from six games in the Champions League - and they have all but automatically qualified for round of 16.

However, the Dutchman was less than impressed with his players and publicly criticised them, saying after the match that he "almost felt sorry" for Girona given they could have scored on multiple occasions.

Lynch agreed that the Reds were below par, and argued that Liverpool could easily slip up against Fulham in the Premier League should they fail to rectify the issues from Tuesday, telling Sports Mole: "There weren't many mitigating circumstances or excuses for the performance - Liverpool weren't as controlled as they could be.

"Sometimes if you win and you get a performance that isn't your best, [then] maybe it's a good time to go in on your players a little bit because it won't harm their confidence at all. Everybody's happy that you've got the win and will take that criticism on board a little easier.

"I think [Slot] knows if you perform like that against Fulham, there's every chance that Fulham will get a result on the basis of their performance against Arsenal, so maybe it's just a reminder to his players that you've got to do a lot better."

Poor pressing

Girona are owned by the City Football Group, who also own the likes of Manchester City, and there is an emphasis on playing an expansive brand of football across their portfolio.

Slot noted this before the match, and said after Liverpool's win that his team should have pressed more aggressively to try and prevent the Spanish side from stamping their authority on the match.

Instead, Girona were able to play beyond the Reds' frontline and regularly threaten Allison Becker's goal, and Lynch argued that the Merseysiders failed to adequately control the match, saying to Sports Mole: "What it is that disappointed him [about the Girona match] was that [there were] a lot of mitigating circumstances around the Newcastle [draw].

"I think [Slot] thought after a rest, after missing the Merseyside derby, that [Liverpool] would come out and put in a really good performance and be a bit more convincing.

"Obviously, [Slot talked] Girona up, saying they're a good side - but I imagine that Newcastle have got better players [than Girona] and we'd be able to beat them - so I think he was just disappointed because he expected more and Liverpool weren't as controlled."

Results still matter

It might be cliché, but results are ultimately king in football, even if strong performances might be more indicative of long-term success.

However, Liverpool have won 19 of their 22 games this season, and they managed to keep their 12th clean sheet of 2024-25 against Girona, an impressive feat considering it took until February 25 of last season to reach the same landmark.

Though Lynch believes that Liverpool must improve upon their showing against Girona, he emphasised that Slot and the team have performed excellently this campaign, exceeding expectations.

Speaking to Sports Mole, Lynch said: "You thought with Arne Slot coming in and taking on a club where the expectations are massively different to Feyenoord, that [it would] be a big challenge for him, maybe there would be teething problems and issues he'd have to deal with and lessons he'd have to learn along the way.

"I didn't for a second think after that draw came out that Liverpool would be six from six [in the Champions League] and be the first side that's basically booked their place in the top eight. It's an incredible achievement, and it takes all the pressure off those two last games.

"You've no need for a playoff, which is two games of really high importance that would make it really tricky for [Liverpool]. So it's just a huge bonus and a lot more than we expected at the start of the season. Huge credit to Arne Slot for that."

Written by

Lewis Nolan