Virgil van Dijk warned his Liverpool teammates that they still have a huge job on their hands to qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals.
The Reds emerged from the last-16 first leg away to Paris Saint-Germain with a one-goal lead after riding out a storm at the Parc des Princes, thanks in no small part to the heroics of goalkeeper Alisson.
Alisson made nine saves in the game — the most made by a Liverpool goalkeeper in the Champions League since Opta records began over 20 years ago — and said afterwards that the display might have been the best of his career to date.
With home advantage in the second leg, Liverpool is the heavy favorite to progress but Van Dijk is anticipating another major test.
“Listen, he’s the best goalkeeper in the world,” Van Dijk said of Alisson. “I’ve mentioned it many times in the past and he showed it again on the biggest stage. A lot of shots from distance but he was there to save us and we put ourselves in a good position for next week but we all know this is far from over.
“They are an outstanding team with an outstanding manager and they come to Liverpool with the belief they can turn this around and we have to be ready for a very big task and we will be.”
Asked whether PSG posed the biggest test that Van Dijk has faced since joining Liverpool, such was the French side’s dominance in the first leg, the Dutchman responded: “I don’t know because I felt like we knew they would come blazing in terms of the press one v one and our plan was to go over the press and make second runs in behind.
“It worked a couple of times and you could see how much space it opened up but I think we were a bit too rushed at times as well with our decision-making and we couldn’t find the right man or were not as good in possession as we wanted to be. But what I really liked was the togetherness, everyone put a shift in and we know everyone can be better.
“We don’t want to be playing this way because everyone who plays football wants to have the ball a lot and wants to be dominating opponents but we played against a team with a lot of quality, world-class quality and they made it very difficult for everyone in the world so far and they made it difficult for us but we found a way and we have to try to finish it off next week. It will be a difficult task but we are at home with our fans and we have to fight – and we will.”
