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Widely considered Liverpool\u2019s player of the season, Dominik Szoboszlai found himself apologizing to the club supporters on Monday for what he described as a \u201cmisunderstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n
The midfielder has been in outstanding form in a difficult season for Liverpool \u2014 scoring 12 goals including stunning strikes against Arsenal and Manchester City.<\/p>\n
But his reaction after the 4-0 FA Cup loss to City this month \u2014 shrugging, raising his arms and clapping towards away fans \u2014 was interpreted by some as sarcasm when video footage was shared on social media.<\/p>\n
He was ushered away by teammate Federico Chiesa as boos rang around the away end at Etihad Stadium.<\/p>\n
Ahead of Tuesday\u2019s Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Paris Saint-Germain, Szoboszlai tried to put the record straight.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe it was a misunderstanding between me and the fans,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t mean it in a bad way. I know what the fans mean to this club and what the club means to the fans.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do everything for the fans as they do for us. If it was a misunderstanding then I apologize. I\u2019m not feeling better than them, I feel exactly the same as they do. I am with them, we are with them and hopefully they are with us as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liverpool trails 2-0 after the first leg in Paris and is hoping for a famous turnaround against the defending European champion.<\/p>\n
In the 2019 semifinals, the Merseyside club routed Barcelona 4-0 at Anfield after losing the first leg 3-0.<\/p>\n
It will take something similarly heroic against PSG, which totally dominated the first leg in Paris last week.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a belief that we can do special things tomorrow but we need to be very, very, very special tomorrow to achieve that because we are playing against the champions of Europe,\u201d manager Arne Slot said. \u201cWe know we need an exceptional performance to go through to the next round.\u201d<\/p>\n
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James Robson is at https:\/\/x.com\/jamesalanrobson<\/p>\n
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AP soccer: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/soccer<\/p>\n<\/div>\n