Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has revealed that he had scheduled an unscheduled team meeting following Sunday’s disastrous 2-1 home defeat to Manchester United.
Virgil van Dijk has revealed why he planned the unscheduled team gathering that sparked Liverpool’s revival. The Reds beat Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 in the Champions League in Germany on Wednesday night, helping to turn around their fortunes after a four-game losing streak.
Arne Slott’s side came under intense scrutiny after losing 2-1 at home to Manchester United on Sunday, threatening to suffer their worst result for 72 years. The team returned to training the next day and had the standard post-match analysis with the coaching staff, but Van Dijk also convened an unscheduled players-only summit to address the issues that had plagued their difficult campaign so far.
Liverpool’s captain admitted there are some issues he believes need to be discussed within the restructured squad. “Everyone was sad because we lost at home to Man United on Monday,” the 34-year-old said.
“While I was at Liverpool, we didn’t lose too many games at home. We met on Monday because the conditions were tough, but it wasn’t a crisis meeting. We all know how things can change. It’s only October.”
“Obviously there was a proper debriefing with the manager, but as a player I also had a separate debriefing. There are a few things I wanted to say. It wasn’t a crisis meeting. That’s not something you do after every game. Let’s keep it that way!”
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Van Dijk continued: “Nobody wants to lose four games in a row, but that was the situation we found ourselves in. We had to stay calm and block out all the noise from outside, because it’s something you can’t control.”
“The only way to get out of a situation like that is to stay together, focus on the work ahead, try to improve, stay confident, and enjoy the moment. All of that is easier said than done. But if you want to get out of it, you have to do it.”
“We now live in a world where there is always noise. There is always something to be said and there is always someone who knows better. We have to stay focused on ourselves. Was the atmosphere lower than usual? Before I met, yes, after I met everyone was happy!”
Slott made some notable decisions heading into the showdown at Deutsche Bank Park. Mohamed Salah was among the players left on the bench as the Reds switched to a 4-4-2 formation with Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak as strike partners and Florian Wirtz on the right flank.
Isak came off the bench with a groin strain and could be doubtful for Saturday’s Premier League game against Brentford, but his strike partner Ekitike scored Liverpool’s equaliser, and Wirtz set up second-half goals for Kodi Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai, producing his best performance since his £116m summer move from Bayer Leverkusen.
Coach Van Dijk revealed the following about the tactical switch: “It’s something we’ve been working on in training since the weekend. We all know we have quality players who can adapt to different formations and play different roles. Frankfurt changed their playing style a bit, trying to play like Man United did without a real striker, but we did well. We scored some really good goals.”
“For Florian, the noise is always there. When you play for Liverpool, it’s something you have to accept. That’s part of it. He has to accept it and focus on what we think of him and what we want from him.”
Ekitike’s goal was his sixth in 12 games since his £79m move from Frankfurt in the summer. It was a great ball from Robbo (Andy Robertson) and a great finish,” Van Dijk said. “With his runs, Hugo made it impossible for defenders to attack. I’m really happy for Hugo, coming at an important time for us.”
Van Dijk scored his second goal of the season with a huge header from a Gakpo corner, and moments later his centre-half partner Ibrahima Konate slotted home Szoboszlai’s shot for Liverpool’s third goal. Slott has recently urged his side to show more killer instincts from set-pieces, with Van Dijk saying: “We just needed to keep going and keep working with them.”
“This season, we have come close many times from corners. Me and Ibou (Konate) were able to score with our heads and contribute to the team.”
Liverpool travel to Brentford on Saturday for a grueling third round of seven crucial games in 22 days, taking on former captain Jordan Henderson and former Reds players Caoich Kelleher, Fabio Carvalho and Sepp van den Berg.
“It’s always difficult there,” Van Dijk said. “This was an important win for us. We will take a lot of positives from this win, but Saturday will be another big challenge. We need to recover physically and mentally and prepare for a tough match.”
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