Highlights: Wirths shines as Liverpool secure decisive win against Newcastle
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Manager Virgil van Dijk has dismissed claims of team disharmony at Anfield, adding that increased scrutiny over issues such as team morale could pose a “huge challenge” for the next generation of players.
A morale-boosting win over the Magpies kept Liverpool on track to qualify for next season’s Champions League, but they currently sit in sixth place, behind Aston Villa, Manchester United and Chelsea, who are chasing the coveted spots. They next face Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.
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The focus remains on the slot, but Van Dijk said: “It’s the same for us as players. If we don’t perform we get criticized and that’s part of the game.”
“We have to perform. It’s not something we did continuously, but unfortunately we talk about it every three or four days.
“It was a good performance on Saturday and it was the same in midweek (against Qarabag). It’s up to us this week to work against Man City and do it again.”
Asked whether there was enough credit for Slott, who won the title last season, Van Dijk added: “Who gives him the disrespect? That’s the question. Is the disrespect being given because people shouldn’t appreciate their disrespect?”
“The player is being disrespected, you could be thinking about who is disrespecting the player. Is it someone you value, is it a serious expression of disrespect, or is it someone you can ignore and focus on the job at hand to be a successful Liverpool player? That’s a responsibility we talk about every three or four days.”
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“If you’re going to read all those articles[on social media]you can be a hero one week and a villain the next. I said last week that things are getting worse and more difficult every year. It’s going to be a huge challenge for the next generation.”
“Every era has its own challenges, and the outside of gaming is going to be a big challenge for the next generation, and it’s already been a challenge for this generation.”
The France Under-21 international will join the Merseyside club on July 1, and his move is the latest long-term deal to be offered to an under-23 player.
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Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Milos Kerkes were signed for big money last summer as part of a £450m rebuild led by the arrival of Alexander Isak from Newcastle.
The expectation at the time was that Liverpool would make a serious bid to defend their title, and their five consecutive Premier League wins at the start of the season reinforced that view.
However, Liverpool’s challenge was thwarted by seven defeats in the league from autumn to winter.
Van Dijk continued: “The fact is that we are Premier League champions but we haven’t consistently performed well enough. That’s just a fact. Criticism will come and we have to accept it. We just have to keep moving forward.”
“I don’t think there was any question internally (about unity). I don’t think there is any disharmony. There are obviously challenges and everyone is dealing with certain situations differently.
“It’s also about how we deal with it together and how we fix it and change the situation.
“It makes you stronger as a team and if you can come out of it like we should, hopefully because we have the quality, but I think it only makes you better as a team and as players.”
