Van Dijk opens up on Liverpool struggles and sends defiant message before Man United clash | OneFootball

Liverpool’s captain has spoken candidly after our defeat at Chelsea and his words show a leadership message that deserves to be heard.

Virgil van Dijk’s honest Liverpool assessment

(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Speaking on ViaPlay following the 2–1 loss at Stamford Bridge, Virgil van Dijk admitted it has been a challenging spell for us, both on and off the pitch, as we suffered a third consecutive defeat in all competitions.

“That doesn’t feel good,” said the Dutchman. “It was always going to be a tough, tough season.

“I’ve mentioned it — no one has said it was going to be plain sailing whatsoever. It’s always going to be ups and downs for multiple reasons that we shouldn’t forget.”

Those “reasons” haven’t been lost on anyone inside Anfield.

It’s impossible to imagine the loss of one of our own, Diogo Jota, not having an emotional impact on this group.

Some rival supporters have unfortunately twisted van Dijk’s words online, but it’s clear his message was one of perspective and unity, not deflection.

Liverpool must “stick together” ahead of Man Utd showdown

(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

The Dutch defender made it clear that togetherness is the only way for us to respond, especially with a huge match against Manchester United on the horizon.

“It’s been a tough week, tough ten days or something like that,” Van Dijk continued.

“But we know the only way to get out of this is sticking together, keep working. Then we focus on the very big one at Anfield.”

We might be second in the table after Arsenal’s win at West Ham, but there’s no panic from inside the camp.

The message is one of resilience — and the captain’s tone reflects that.

There’s been plenty of noise after the game with Milos Kerkez being criticised by Gary Neville and Jamie Redknapp pointing to full back issues within our squad.

This run of poor results can be used as a reminder that success never comes without adversity and the players must rediscover the energy that made us champions last season.

And as we prepare to face United after the international break, our skipper’s call to “stick together” feels like the message this group and all of us needed to hear.

You can view Van Dijk’s comments via @ViaplayFotball on X:

You can watch Slot’s post Chelsea press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:

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