Liverpool suffered their 11th Premier League defeat of the season with a 3-2 defeat at Manchester United, but some fans criticized manager Arne Slott for the amount of time off he gave his players.
Virgil van Dijk didn’t mince words (Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Furious Virgil van Dijk has labeled Liverpool’s season “unacceptable” and told his team-mates to make things right next season. Reds captain Van Dijk also defended manager Arne Slott’s decision to give his players time off ahead of Sunday’s disastrous away defeat to Manchester United.
The defeat means Liverpool are likely to finish fourth in the Premier League, with their disastrous campaign compounded by their defeat in the FA Cup and Champions League last month. Since the schedule has been reduced to one game a week, Slott has been able to give his team more time off, with some players using their days off to travel to Europe.
Some members of Liverpool’s fan base are upset about the overseas trip, but Van Dijk insists there is nothing that will interfere with their professionalism. “I don’t know if it’s a holiday or not,” the 34-year-old says. “It was a city trip. It was only one day (away).
“But I think if they have one day off, if they don’t have that much off, they decide what they want to do with their families. We’re not kids. We’re all adults. This week we have an early kick-off (against Chelsea) on Saturday. So we’re preparing for that. Yesterday we were in the hotel.”
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“I played today, so it’s another two days away from my family. We don’t have any vacation at all. Sometimes I wish I had a couple more days off, but I think it helps both ways.”
“Pep Guardiola has given Manchester City three days off in a row in recent weeks and they have done quite well. They have found the right balance. I can understand why people think we are not training and if we are not getting results, that could be the reason why we are not getting results.”
“Personally, like everyone else, I want this to be resolved. I want us to experience what we’ve had here. I want us to be successful. I want to consistently win games and compete with the team. We want to get the job done.”
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Arne Slott has come under fire from Liverpool supporters (Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
“At the moment we are just disappointed. Consistency is the most difficult thing in any job, but it is also the best way to be successful and get results. There are three games left until the World Cup. We have to realize that we cannot repeat this season next season. It is unacceptable.”
This is the first time Liverpool have lost 11 games in a single Premier League season since 2014-15, the year before Jurgen Klopp took over as manager. Van Dijk knows there is nowhere to hide, although he claims injuries were a factor in their demise.
“I’m not here to make excuses,” the Dutchman continued. “It’s been a very disappointing season and an unacceptable season. We should never feel sorry for ourselves. We need to turn things around and make sure this doesn’t happen. That’s not Liverpool.”
“Each injury that we have is a different case. I don’t think anyone could predict that Alex Isak would break his leg. I don’t think anyone could predict that Wata (Wataru Endo) would have a proper leg injury.”
Virgil van Dijk urged his team-mates to learn from this season (Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
“I don’t think you can predict that Gio (Giovanni Leoni) will suffer an anterior cruciate ligament or that Giorgi (Mamadashvili) will get stitches just below the patellar tendon. There are several others as well. As you know, it’s difficult to have two goalkeepers sent off at the same time.”
“But that’s the situation. I could stand here and say that’s why we’re where we are, but I won’t do that. It’s up to all of us to turn things around. Once the season is over, we’ll try to prevent something like this from happening.”
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