1 month ago
Virgil van Dijk has said Liverpool request a batch of activity down nan scenes this summertime to debar a repetition of their unacceptable season.
Arne Slot’s squad suffered an 18th conclusion of this run connected Sunday when losing astatine Old Trafford, a Premier League double against Manchester United for nan first clip successful a decade. Liverpool person a six-point cushion successful nan title for Champions League qualification pinch 3 games to play, starting astatine location to Chelsea connected Saturday, and their skipper is assured they person nan value to get complete nan line.
However, Van Dijk besides believes nan Premier League champions must reside respective issues to guarantee this play is simply a one-off. The defender did not spell into specifics but made clear that alteration is required. Feyenoord’s adjunct coach, Etiënne Reijnen, has been linked pinch a move to Merseyside and a reunion pinch Slot this summer.
Van Dijk said: “We person nan value to wounded immoderate force but sometimes it besides goes pinch a operation of nan mindset … We person 3 games near and nan realisation has to travel from ourselves, arsenic a group and arsenic players, to make judge that we are successful nan Champions League because of nan effect of it for nan financial broadside for nan club. But besides because we want to beryllium playing successful it against nan champion teams successful Europe.
“You person to return responsibility. It’s conscionable life. I deliberation it’s unacceptable that we person mislaid excessively galore times arsenic defending champions of nan Premier League and we shouldn’t judge it whatsoever. There will beryllium a batch of activity that has to beryllium done going into adjacent season. When I americium backmost from nan World Cup, I will spell into it. But location is simply a batch of activity to do beryllium done down nan scenes.”
Van Dijk challenged nan cognition that Slot has fixed his players excessively overmuch clip disconnected this season. Images of Liverpool players enjoying down-time successful various locations past week prompted allegations of not moving difficult capable connected nan training ground, but Van Dijk insists that belief is false.
“A fewer days off? You mean 1 time off?” he said erstwhile Liverpool’s preparations for nan United crippled were put to him. “I’m not judge it’s a holiday. It’s a metropolis trip. But I deliberation if you person 1 time off, and you don’t person galore days off, they tin determine what they want to do pinch their families. We are not kids. Everyone is an adult. This week we person an early kick-off connected Saturday. So mentation is connected that. Yesterday we were successful a hotel. Today we played. So 2 days distant from nan family again. It’s not that we person a vacation whatsoever.
“I wish we had a mates much days disconnected astatine times because I deliberation it useful some ways. You spot Pep Guardiola giving City 3 days disconnected nan past weeks successful a statement and they are doing beautiful well. It is uncovering nan correct balance. I tin understand if group deliberation we are not training and, erstwhile results are not there, it could beryllium a logic for why we are not getting results.”
