Virgil van Dijk admits he and Liverpool had a frustrating season but has recovered from that now

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk admits that his and Liverpool’s season were under-par and frustrating but he has recovered from that now.

Van Dijk spoke about the up-and-down nature of the season where the Reds had a few high moments followed by extreme lows.

Although the final league game against Southampton did not matter as they lost the top-four race a week before, it encapsulated the season in 90 minutes – good going forward but dodgy in the middle and the back.

Here’s what van Dijk said about the season and how he is recovering from it (h/t NOS, via Liverpool Echo):

“I have had a turbulent season and I am happy that the last three months went well. I am comfortable in my skin again and am consistent.

“That’s also what I was used to in the last five years. It was a shock that it was not consistent enough as a team this year.

“You can only come out of it by dealing with it, inside and outside the pitch. I think I was able to do that well, with help from my wife and people at the club. I’m happy with that.”

As the Dutchman pointed out, the last few months of the campaign were decent compared to the first six. The change in system to put Trent Alexander-Arnold into midfield in possession did help in that.

Having a normal summer break and pre-season might help in regaining the form of not just the playing squad, but the management group as well. At times during the 22/23 season, even Jurgen Klopp looked out of sorts with some weird team selections and substitutions.

The road to recovery has made a positive start as Liverpool have made an early move in signing Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton and Hove Albion for a fee of around £35m.

More will be required in the coming weeks to strengthen the squad in a way that makes them back to competing for a top-2 finish in the league and challenge to win the cup competitions.

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For van Dijk, can he come back from an underwhelming campaign and show he can do it when the backs are against the walls? We would expect nothing less from him to be very honest.