He says mindset must be combined with quality
Van Dijk denies players have had too many days off
Virgil van Dijk has said Liverpool need a lot of work behind the scenes this summer to avoid a repeat of their unacceptable season.
Arne Slot’s team suffered an 18th defeat of this campaign on Sunday when losing at Old Trafford, a Premier League double against Manchester United for the first time in a decade. Liverpool have a six-point cushion in the race for Champions League qualification with three games to play, starting at home to Chelsea on Saturday, and their captain is confident they possess the quality to get over the line.
However, Van Dijk also believes the Premier League champions must address several issues to ensure this season is a one-off. The defender did not go into specifics but made clear that change is required. Feyenoord’s assistant coach, Etiënne Reijnen, has been linked with a move to Merseyside and a reunion with Slot this summer.
Van Dijk said: “We have the quality to hurt any opponent but sometimes it also goes with a combination of the mindset … We have three games left and the realisation has to come from ourselves, as a group and as players, to make sure that we are in the Champions League because of the impact of it for the financial side for the club. But also because we want to be playing in it against the best teams in Europe.
“You have to take responsibility. It’s just life. I think it’s unacceptable that we have lost too many times as defending champions of the Premier League and we shouldn’t accept it whatsoever. There will be a lot of work that has to be done going into next season. When I am back from the World Cup, I will go into it. But there is a lot of work to do be done behind the scenes.”
Van Dijk challenged the perception that Slot has given his players too much time off this season. Images of Liverpool players enjoying down-time in various locations last week prompted allegations of not working hard enough on the training ground, but Van Dijk insists that impression is false.
“A few days off? You mean one day off?” he said when Liverpool’s preparations for the United game were put to him. “I’m not sure it’s a holiday. It’s a city trip. But I think if you have one day off, and you don’t have many days off, they can decide what they want to do with their families. We are not kids. Everyone is an adult. This week we have an early kick-off on Saturday. So preparation is on that. Yesterday we were in a hotel. Today we played. So two days away from the family again. It’s not that we have a holiday whatsoever.
“I wish we had a couple more days off at times because I think it works both ways. You see Pep Guardiola giving City three days off the last weeks in a row and they are doing pretty well. It is finding the right balance. I can understand if people think we are not training and, when results are not there, it could be a reason for why we are not getting results.”
