The drop from midweek highs to weekend disappointment has become a familiar pattern for us, and Virgil van Dijk didn’t hide his frustration after Liverpool’s defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Speaking via GOAL after the match, the Dutch defender summed up both the immediate reaction and the wider issues that continue to derail our season.
The Liverpool captain pointed straight to the situation behind the scenes, with injuries once again leaving the squad stretched.
“My initial reaction [is one of] frustration, I think I have been repeating myself lately,” Van Dijk said.
“It is the situation. I was also surprised when I was on the training pitch yesterday [Friday], and I only saw the amount of players that I saw, but that is the situation, So yes, it is tough”.
That context matters, because by the time Hugo Ekitike went off early, we were already without key figures like Alisson and Mo Salah, leaving the team reshuffled and short of attacking threat.
The Netherlands international also admitted the disruption had a clear impact on how we played.
“When Hugo comes off and you look at the team, there was not a lot of runs in behind… it changed a bit of our game.”
Beyond injuries, though, the centre-back made it clear the core issue hasn’t changed all season.
“We can’t build on a good performance. That is something that has to change if we are to achieve what we are trying to achieve, and that is Champions League football.”
That theme has been echoed by others, with John Aldridge criticising the defensive display and physical output, while Stephen Warnock went as far as calling the team “soft” after being overpowered at the Amex.
Van Dijk didn’t shy away from responsibility either, stressing that the solution has to come from within the squad.
“It’s down to us and so we have to do it as players, as a group… if we change that, then obviously we can be a very dangerous force… but at the moment, we are not.”
That final admission probably says everything, because until we find a way to turn performances into consistency, the fight for Champions League football will remain exactly that, a fight rather than a certainty.
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