Liverpool were in poor form and lost to Manchester City before the international break, but they were showing bright spots before the defeat.
Virgil van Dijk admitted he had “mixed emotions” during the international break following Liverpool’s heavy defeat at Manchester City after back-to-back wins.
The Reds have lost seven of their last 10 games, dropping from top of the Premier League to eighth. They also saw their Carabao Cup hopes crushed by Crystal Palace as Arne Slott struggled to find a winning formula.
Last season’s champions have little margin for error if they are to retain their title, but they showed signs of improvement by defeating Aston Villa and then Real Madrid within days.
Both were seen off at Anfield and Van Dijk was particularly encouraged by what he saw when the Spanish giants lost. But the Dutchman knows Liverpool need to dig deeper if they are to face their current situation.
The captain said in the program notes: “I would say we approached the recent international match with mixed emotions. We were certainly disappointed with the way we lost at Manchester City, but we were encouraged by the games before that, both against Aston Villa and Real Madrid, which were important, hard-fought and well-deserved wins.”
read more: Liverpool’s new Jeremy Frimpong injury update as Arne Slott faces Nottingham Forest dilemmaread more: Alexander Isak sparks criticism of Liverpool transfer after former teammate makes defiant promise
“We will not turn away from the truth at this club. We know that we will see an improvement in our performance level and we know that the only way to find that improvement is through hard work and unity.”
“I have said many times that I believe in the quality and character of this team, but we have to show it where it matters – on the field.
“We know what’s going to happen in the next few months, but for now our focus has to be just on the next game. We’ll fight for the win, we’ll fight for the three points and we’ll go from there.”
Liverpool face Nottingham Forest at Anfield on Saturday, the first team to win in the slot era. Despite winning their opening five games, they are eight points behind league leaders Arsenal.
Since losing to Crystal Palace in September, they have also lost to Chelsea and Brentford.
Liverpool’s number of defeats means some have already been ruled out of title contention, but Slott admits that is not the focus right now.
“I think I’ve said many times in the past that I’m not thinking about it or talking about it at this point,” he said.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can always check out. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports Premier League and EFL package discounts
£49
£35
sky
Get the deal here
Sky has reduced the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 on their bill and offering more than 1,400 live matches from Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will broadcast at least 215 live Premier League matches next season, with an increase of up to 100 more.
