Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has harsh words after the Reds’ Premier League defeat to Brentford and knows they have a difficult task ahead of them next against Crystal Palace.
Virgil van Dijk admitted the loss to Brentford was difficult to bear after Liverpool suffered a fourth straight Premier League defeat. The Reds captain called on his team-mates to change their mindset towards Crystal Palace, who were the catalyst for their consecutive defeats.
Arne Slott’s side were unable to extend their win against Frankfurt and although Dango Ouattara and Kevin Schade gave the Bees the lead, they were unable to secure the three points in west London until Milos Kerkes pulled a goal back. Igor Thiago converted a penalty in the second period to reduce the gap, but Liverpool only managed to close the gap with a late goal from Mo Salah.
Things won’t get any easier for the Reds next up against Oliver Glasner’s Eagles in the Carabao Cup. Palace have already beaten Liverpool twice this season, winning the Community Shield and Premier League.
Van Dijk is well aware of that fact. “The reality is we lost today,” he said after the defeat to Brentford.
“We have the next game on Wednesday and that opponent (Crystal Palace) has already made life difficult for us this season, so we have to change our minds pretty quickly to prepare for that.
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“They will come to Anfield to hurt us even more, but this is difficult to accept. We can’t deny it. It’s not an easy moment. We were trying to build on our performance against Frankfurt, but today was not a good night.”
Dutch representative Van Dijk has proven to be stingy in defense in the past and lamented his team’s inability to keep a clean sheet. The defender admitted that he has to look in the mirror like other players in order to return to the team’s highest standards.
Asked why Liverpool are struggling to keep clean sheets, Van Dijk replied: “It’s hard to say.”
“The fact that we didn’t keep a clean sheet for nine games! It’s easy to blame specific people, like the backline or set pieces. But ultimately it’s a collective thing. We all have to look in the mirror, myself included. I’m sure we’ll get out of this situation.”
“But we can’t just talk about it. We will try to improve. We need each other and we need support.”
“I want the people who celebrated with me last year to be with me more than ever. We have quality both offensively and defensively, so we will come out of this situation.”
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