Virgil van Dijk denies hangover from last season as reason for poor start to this campaign
Liverpool’s 2021/22 season was one of the best for the club in the recent past where we reached the finals of all cup competitions, winning two of the four and narrowly missing out on the Premier League title by a solitary point on the last matchday.
A largely successful season wherein Liverpool played all possible games throughout the campaign. A contrasting start this time around, with the Reds looking like a completely different team since the time this season has started.
One of the major reasons why Liverpool have not been at their best is the shaky defensive shape of Virgil van Dijk, who seems not to be in the best of forms this year, and has been guilty of giving away goals much easier than before.
Even in Liverpool’s draw against Brighton, the defender was guilty of letting the ball go past his feet for their third goal. But as per Liverpool Echo, the 31-year-old Dutchman believes that there is no “hangover” from last season.
“No, no not at all, there is no hangover from that. Teams obviously are getting better, we play in the best league in the world where all the teams are able to compete with each other, and we have to get back to that consistency (of last season), and play with joy and freedom.”
“Obviously we’ve had some setbacks, and it is difficult to react the right way if you are not in the best possible shape, all of us. But I’m confident that we will be. What is it, four months ago we were playing for all the titles? Now we are not in the best moment – but we will get there.”
Van Dijk defends Liverpool better
Even though it is tough to believe that Liverpool have got complacent due to their form last season, it becomes extremely important for the club to focus on one game at a time and try to pull the best result possible from the fixture.
In 10 games this season, Liverpool have conceded 15 goals. To give context, Liverpool only conceded 26 goals in the entire Premier League last season. Defensively, the Reds have been all over the place during the campaign, including our number 4.
Moreover, it is not only the defence. Midfield is where the Reds face an issue currently – in particular the ageing midfield which is not performing as expected. Certainly, the top brass at the club would’ve figured out that the Reds need new players to fulfil those midfield roles and in the long-term as well.
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Hopefully, the Reds play better and get better results from the games in the future. Moreover, the author hopes that Virgil defends the same way on the pitch the way he has been defending the team off the field as well.
