Virgil van Dijk says ‘everyone was happy’ after what he did in the aftermath of defeat to Man Utd
Virgil van Dijk exercised his status as captain of Liverpool to take affirmative action the day after the Reds lost to Manchester United last weekend.
The Premier League champions suffered a fourth consecutive defeat on Sunday as Harry Maguire’s late winner consigned the home side to a 2-1 loss at Anfield, only the fourth time that our skipper was on the losing side at the stadium in a top-flight match since joining LFC in 2018.
The result deepend the sense of soul-searching for the Merseysiders, with Jamie Carragher bluntly stating that his former club would have no chance of retaining their title if they don’t tighten up defensively.
Van Dijk called players’ meeting after defeat to Man United
Liverpool bounced back emphatically on Wednesday night by thrashing Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1, and Van Dijk revealed afterwards that he called a players’ meeting on Monday to allow the squad to speak openly with each other about the Reds’ loss of form.
The 34-year-old told reporters (via BBC Sport): “On Monday, everyone was sad because we lost to United at home. We haven’t lost many games at home during my time at Liverpool.
“It was tough under the circumstances so on Monday we came together, but it wasn’t a crisis meeting. We all know how things can change. We’re only in October.
“Obviously, we also had a proper debrief with the manager but we also had a separate one as players. I wanted to say some things. It’s not something I do after every game. Let’s keep it that way.”
When asked if morale among the squad was low after last weekend, Van Dijk replied: “Before my meeting, yes; but after my meeting, everyone was happy!”
Van Dijk’s meeting seems to have had the desired effect
It was the captain’s first experience of losing four games on the bounce at Liverpool, and in his leadership role he clearly felt compelled to gather his teammates together and allow for an open forum away from the attention of the coaching staff.
The Dutchman’s words indicate that it wasn’t a crisis summit, but rather an opportunity for players to get things off their chest and have a frank conversation with the aim of resolving any issues which may have arisen in a co-operative manner.
Van Dijk is a classic case of a footballer who never gets too high after a victory or too low after a defeat, and it wasn’t surprising to hear him keeping everyone’s feet on the ground in the immediate aftermath of the 5-1 win in Frankfurt last night.
Without being privy to what was said in the players’ meeting, the result in Germany would suggest that it had the desired effect, and the key for Liverpool now is to use it as the starting point for a prolonged return to form, rather than it being an isolated high watermark amid a continuing rut.
If Wednesday’s success is the trigger for a sustained winning streak, then the squad summit on Monday would appear to have had exactly the outcome that the captain was seeking.
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