Virgil van Dijk makes worrying admission as Liverpool problem follows him in Netherlands draw

Virgil van Dijk admitted the Netherlands struggled against Poland as an all-too familiar problem haunted the Liverpool captain on international duty on Friday.

Van Dijk started for his country alongside club-mates Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo as the Dutch all but secured their place at next year’s World Cup with a 1-1 draw in Warsaw, thanks to Memphis Depay’s second-half equalizer.

Although the Netherlands has now effectively booked its spot in the United States, Canada and Mexico with a game to spare, it was far from a comfortable night for Ronald Koeman’s side, with the Dutch boss making his disappointment clear.

Van Dijk in particular has come in for some criticism for his part in Jakub Kaminski’s opener during the first-half, which threatened to make things a lot more uncomfortable for the visitors ahead of their final qualifier against Lithuania on Monday.

Speaking to NOS after the game, Van Dijk admitted: "It was a tough night. It's always difficult to break through a low block and create chances. We lost the ball in difficult areas, allowing Poland to counter-attack."

That complaint will no doubt sound very familiar to Liverpool fans. Arne Slot has bemoaned his side’s ability to break down low blocks this season, most notably following last month’s defeat to Manchester United.

It seems then that it’s not a problem limited to just club soccer for Van Dijk, with Depay’s goal shortly after the break sparing the Netherlands what could have been a much more frustrating evening.

"After that, we went looking for more, but you have to take into account a counter-attack,” Van Dijk said.

“The prevailing feeling is that we had a tough time against Poland's low block. We lost the ball in a dangerous position near the goal. That happens, and it's a shame."

Nevertheless, Van Dijk, Gravenberch and Gakpo - as well as Jeremie Frimpong, who missed out on a call-up through injury - can begin to look forward to next year’s World Cup, despite not yet officially booking their place at the tournament.

The Netherlands holds a three-point lead and 13-goal advantage at the top of its qualifying group heading into Monday’s final game against Lithuania, meaning it would take a quite remarkable set of results for the Dutch to miss out on automatic qualification, with Van Dijk hoping to put Friday’s disappointment firmly behind him.

"In club football, it's also difficult to play against teams that sit deep,” the Liverpool captain added. “You have to switch sides quickly. That was perhaps too slow today.

“We now have to finish it off on Monday in Amsterdam. Hopefully, everyone who comes to watch is looking forward to it; we can't wait."

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