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• Slot urges Liverpool to be more consistent against Leverkusen

  Arne Slot has urged Liverpool to perform better with and without the ball when they face Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday.

  The Reds had to come from behind to beat Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday, recovering from conceding an early goal thanks to goals from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah as they won 2-1. 

  So far, Slot has only lost one game in charge of Liverpool, and boasts a perfect record in the Champions League, though they sit second in the table behind fellow Premier League side Aston Villa on goal difference. 

  They are looking to win their opening four games in a single campaign of the competition for just the second time in their history, after 2021-22 under Jurgen Klopp (a run of seven), but Slot knows they need to make improvements if they want to beat the German champions. 

  "Football is played in two moments, having the ball and not. And against strong teams, Leverkusen is one, you need to be good on both sides," Slot told a press conference on Monday.

  "We were poor on both sides, not as good with or without [the ball] on Saturday against Brighton, so we need a second-half performance because Leverkusen are at least equal to Brighton with the ball. So we need a much better performance than the first half."

  Liverpool have lost one of their last 21 European meetings with German opponents (W14 D6), though that one defeat came against Leverkusen in 2002. They are unbeaten in 13 games since then (W10 D3).

  Xabi Alonso is looking to end that run as he returns to Anfield for the first time as a coach to take on his former side, who he helped win Europe's elite club competition in 2005. 

  "It's difficult to say what makes him a special manager if you don't work with him, but he is, that is clear," Slot said.

  "Bottom of the league when he took over, didn't spend much, bought one or two players, had that [kind of] season [where they won a domestic double having been unbeaten in the Bundesliga] - it's special.

  "I haven't faced him [Alonso] or worked with him but what might be the situation is he worked with incredible managers in the past and played at the highest levels. So he knows what players feel at certain moments."

  Liverpool will be able to count on defender Ibrahima Konate, who returned to training after coming off at half-time against Brighton.

  "He's available to play, and I think also completely recovered, so there is no issue for him not to play because of what [happened]," Slot said.

  "Then it's up to me to make the decision if he plays or not. But he's in a good place."

• PSV seek to bounce back from Ajax loss

  PSV want to use Tuesday's Champions League clash against Girona as a chance to bounce back after losing their 100% record in domestic football.

  They still lead the Eredivisie by 15 points but after winning 10 games on the trot, let a 2-1 lead slip and went down 3-2 to Ajax in Amsterdam on Saturday.

  PSV have a good chance to get back on track when they host Girona in what will be the first meeting between the teams.

  "Everyone who has played football has lost at some point," said PSV coach Peter Bosz on Monday.

  "You go home with a bad feeling and wake up the next day with a bad feeling. But then you also know that the next match is coming up.

  "When you play in Europe, there are two or three days in between. It is like that almost every week, so as a player or as a coach you have to learn to move on from your disappointment quickly. We discuss the game afterwards and then we draw a line under it and move on to the next one."

  Girona have already taken on PSV's domestic rivals Feyenoord in the new-look Champions League this season, losing at the start of last month, though Bosz is expecting a stern test form last season's surprise package in LaLiga.

  "A team that wants to dominate opponents," Bosz said of their Spanish opponents.

  "Also against Feyenoord, more possession, 11 corners to Feyenoord's zero. They want to build from the back, play real football.

  "They did a great job in Spain last year. If you finish third there, that's something very special. You need a lot of quality, otherwise you won't last a season. This year they're having a bit more trouble, also because of the extra matches in the Champions League."

  PSV have yet to win in the group phase this season, while they have won just two out of 20 European Cup/Champions League games against Spanish teams (D9 L9).

  However, the last Spanish side to win away at PSV in European competition was Granada in October 2020 in the Europa League (2-1), with each of the last three visiting sides failing to win there (D2 L1): Real Sociedad (D1) and Sevilla on two occasions (D1 L1).

• Sporting want to show they 'don't need Amorim', says Hjulmand

  Sporting CP captain Morten Hjulmand says the club are ready to show what they can do without Ruben Amorim.

  The head coach is set to join Manchester United on November 11, having signed a deal that will keep him at Old Trafford until the end of the 2026-27 season.

  Sporting have made a brilliant start to the season, currently sitting top of the league table, winning all 10 of their matches so far, and are also unbeaten in the Champions League.

  Despite their impressive showing so far, Hjulmand says he is prepared for the challenge that lies ahead.

  "It is a positive challenge [to not play under Amorim]," Hjulmand said ahead of their Champions League meeting with Manchester City on Tuesday.

  "Winning the championship remains the goal. Life goes on, we now want to show that we don't need Ruben.

  "It was difficult for me to know that he is leaving. I was sad. That he was going to leave me too. But in football, opportunities like these happen to players and coaches.

  "It's part of football and I hope Ruben is proud to receive an offer of this kind."

  During his four-and-a-half-year tenure at Sporting, Amorim guided them to two Primeira Liga titles and took charge of 156 league games, the most of any coach in the club's history (according to Opta's records).

  He also boasts the best win ratio of any Sporting coach on record, winning 120 of those matches in the Portuguese top-flight (76.92%).

  Hjulmand, who was signed by Amorim in August 2023 from Lecce, admitted he was sad to see him leave, but believes he can do a good job at United.

  "Ruben was one of the reasons why I came to Sporting," he added. "When you are coached by him, you get a clear idea of the way he sees football and how he sees us being part of the team.

  It's a very important image for the player, to know what his role is, what he can contribute to the team. It was very important when I joined Sporting.

  "The way he sees the players, how he manages the team on and off the field... It's something I've never seen in my career. Manchester United will be in good hands with Ruben.

  "We are resigned that Ruben will leave, we will have a good coach, in whom we believe.

  "Everyone who works at Sporting made a good choice with this new coach. The fans also believe in the new coach. The championship is going on, and we have to win it."