Virgil van Dijk issues wake-up call to Liverpool after four consecutive Premier League defeats
Liverpool suffered yet another setback on Saturday against Brentford and are currently enduring one of their toughest stretches in recent history. Following a run of four straight defeats in the 2025-26 Premier League season, team captain Virgil van Dijk has issued a wake-up call to his teammates.
The Reds entered the match on the back of a dominant 5-1 away win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Champions League, hoping that result would mark a turning point. However, Liverpool failed to carry that momentum into domestic play, falling 3-2 away to Brentford. The Reds once again struggled to create clear chances compared to the home side, extending their streak to nine games without a clean sheet.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the game, Van Dijk addressed the team’s poor run with a message aimed at both his teammates and himself: “It’s difficult to say (what is most concerning). The fact is that we didn’t keep clean sheets for nine games. It’s easy then to blame a particular person or the back line or set-pieces, but it’s a collective thing in the end as well. Everyone has to look in the mirror, including myself.“
The Dutch defender also called on Liverpool fans to stay behind the team during this difficult spell. “We need the people who were celebrating with us last year to be with us now even more. We will get out of this because we have the quality offensively and defensively,” he added.
Liverpool’s concerning Premier League record
After lifting the 2024-25 Premier League title under Arne Slot in his debut season as manager, expectations were high, especially following heavy investment during the 2025 summer transfer window. But the 3-2 defeat at the Gtech Community Stadium not only dropped Liverpool to seventh in the table, it also highlighted a worrying statistical decline compared to last season.
The loss to Brentford marked Liverpool’s fourth defeat in the Premier League, matching their total number of losses from the entire 2024-25 campaign. The concern is how quickly that total was reached: by Matchday 9 this season, compared to just four losses across all 38 matches last term. It’s a stark contrast that underlines the Reds’ struggles.
Another big test in midweek
With both their Champions League and Premier League campaigns faltering, Liverpool will return to action on Wednesday for the EFL Cup fourth round against Crystal Palace at Anfield. The Eagles have already proven a difficult opponent this year, having beaten Liverpool in the Community Shield and handed them their first league defeat of the season.
Van Dijk issued a strong warning ahead of the matchup: “We have the next game on Wednesday against an opponent who already made our life difficult this season. We have to turn our mindset pretty quickly to be ready for that. They will come to Anfield to hurt us even more, but this is a tough one to take. We can’t deny that. It’s not an easy moment. We were trying to build on that performance against Frankfurt and this was not a nice evening to have.”