12 hours ago
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Virgil van Dijk has called on his teammates to show “desire and character” in the wake of Saturday’s Premier League defeat against Nottingham Forest.
The Liverpool captain was critical of the team’s approach to the Premier League encounter at Anfield, which resulted in a bruising 3-0 loss. Unsurprisingly, for a player who demands the highest standards from his fellow squad members, Van Dijk has said that the performance against PSV Eindhoven simply must improve.
“Saturday’s defeat by Nottingham Forest was bad, a really tough day for us all, and the position we find ourselves in right now is not acceptable,” the 34-year-old wrote in the matchday program.
“Everyone has to step up and take responsibility, and show that they have the desire and the character to turn things around.
"At the moment, we are letting ourselves down, letting the manager down and letting you guys down, and we know that has to change.
“Like I say, it is on us to make that change, nobody else. We can talk about what’s going wrong and what we need to do, but it’s about actions, not words.
“Each and every one of us has to first look in the mirror and then, as a team, we have to come together to show that we are better than this, stronger than this.
“It all starts with the basics: hard work, a willingness to fight for every first ball, every second ball, to compete in every duel, to block shots and win challenges. We have to do all of those things as a team. It is the only way.”
Arne Slot said in Tuesday’s pre-match press conference that one of the biggest differences from last season is the quantity of goals being conceded, something Van Dijk agrees with.
“We have to be harder to play against, for sure, because the amount of goals we have conceded so far this season is not good at all, and against Forest again it was far too easy,” claimed the Liverpool skipper.
“But we also have to have the courage to play our own football, to stay calm and look to create chances, and to not let our heads drop when things go against us.
“In the Premier League and the Champions League, you can’t lose your composure, because the quality of opponent means that more often than not you will be punished.
“I know you guys are frustrated with the way things are at the moment and I understand that frustration.
“As I say, I take responsibility for what has been going on and everyone else needs to as well. We can’t ignore the reality of the situation.”
English (US) ·