LIVERPOOL, England (AP) – Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has revealed he led a players-only meeting earlier in the week after four straight defeats.
Van Dijk said “everyone was sad” after Sunday’s 2-1 loss to Manchester United in the Premier League, which included losses to Crystal Palace, Galatasaray and Chelsea before the international break.
So, following a briefing with manager Arne Slott, Liverpool’s players gathered at the training ground on Monday, where centre-back Van Dijk delivered a message to his team-mates.
Van Dijk explained that it was “not a crisis meeting” and added: “There are a few things I wanted to say. You don’t do that every game. Everyone was happy after the meeting.”
Liverpool avoided a 72-year club record losing streak by defeating Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday.
“We had to stay calm and block out all the noise from outside, because it’s something we can’t control,” Van Dijk said.
“The only way to get out of a situation like that is to stay together, stay focused on the task ahead, try to improve, stay confident, and stay in the moment. All of this is easy to say, but if you want to get out of it, you have to do it.”
After eight games, Liverpool have fallen to fourth place in the Premier League, four points behind leaders Arsenal, and will play at Brentford on Saturday.
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