Peter Bosz has backed Arne Slot to revive Liverpool’s form as the PSV manager prepares for his first trip to Anfield.
The Reds have lost eight of their last 11 matches heading into Wednesday’s meeting with the Eredivisie leaders.
Peter Bosz has faced Slot five times, winning three and losing just once, including a 3-2 victory in last season’s final Champions League league-phase game, a dead rubber for a heavily rotated Liverpool side already assured of qualification.
With pressure mounting on the Reds after their recent slump, Bosz praised Slot’s qualities and believes he will steady Liverpool, though he admits he prefers to face them during a difficult spell.
“No, (I have no sympathy for him). He’s a great trainer,” the 62-year-old said. “He has so much quality, he will turn it around.
“Where they have a problem is all the good purchases they brought in, how do you make a team which gels together?
“I don’t doubt it will happen. I know he is going to be able to deal with this and get out of it.
“If you look at the last match when they lost 3-0. How is it possible, that’s what you start thinking. We’re here to play a good match, it should be about us, not the opponent.
“I haven’t got a crystal ball. I’d rather play against a team that is not in form than one which is.
“I really can’t be bothered answering that (the difference between Liverpool in the Premier League and Champions League). I would have to have really studied what’s going on and I haven’t.
“We have to be PSV and play our own way. Liverpool have their own way of playing, tomorrow it is about who does it the best.”
He continued: “If I think about Liverpool, I think about all the big players who have played here.
“The strikers are the most well known but there are so many big players who played here. If you look at the trophies they have won it is unbelievable.
“What Liverpool stands for, that makes it an important match. As a coach it’s nice to sit on the bench and as a player it’s even better. I find it really nice. I’ve played at a lot of stadiums but this hasn’t been on the list, so great.
“I played at Goodison Park as a player but I never played at Liverpool. It will be great to experience it. But when we play tomorrow it is about one thing – win the match.”
On Florian Wirtz, Bosz said: “He is the best player I’ve ever worked with at his age.
“He was 16 when he was allowed to come and train with us. I didn’t let him go anywhere else, so good he was.
“I’ve had other lads come and train with us but he was really special. With Florian it was obvious from the beginning.
“It will take time for him to get used to the Premier League.
The intensity in his league is higher than any other league in the world. The Bundesliga has a lot of intensity but here you have to have time to get used to it.
“I saw at 16 how he adapted to the training and he was technically perfect and football intelligence he was on a good level. For those reasons, he can play intelligent football. He will be fine.”
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