Virgil van Dijk has dismissed any suggestion that Liverpool was feeling the effects of its extra-time period against PSG midweek after losing another important game, this time to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final. He did, though, accept that the Reds were lacking “firepower” in attack on the day.
“I don’t think there is anything [in the idea of tiredness creeping in after PSG],” Van Dijk told reporters at Wembley. “We gave it our all and that is why it is easier to keep your head up. Focusing on the final is the nicest thing to do so I don’t think there was any of that.
“It was a great header [from Dan Burn] but before that, we gave too many set-pieces away — free kicks, corner kicks. Whether it was fouls of whatever, we gave the referee opportunities to give them.”
After a grueling campaign, is the effort that has been put in this season catching up with Liverpool? “I don’t think so,” Van Dijk insisted.
“It is easy to say because we are in the decisive [part of the] season. Last two games, you win or you lose and it was disappointing to be knocked out of the Champions League. We gave it everything and it wasn’t enough.
“Today was just disappointing in so many ways. We had enough to maybe get a draw but they deserved it. That’s the disappointing part. I don’t know exactly what the full explanation for that is but it is disappointing. The job is not done and what we have coming up, we have to work for.
“I don’t know if [Newcastle] was [too] intense. I think they defended well. Dan Burn was very good and I think we didn’t really have the firepower today.
“We had a couple [of chances]… [Diogo] Jota with the left in the first half, Darwin [Nunez] had a couple of moments where if he touched the ball better, but there were not many clear-cut chances. I think they didn’t have it either but they are pretty clinical, so yeah — that’s it.”
(Image: Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Now out of every cup competition but leading the way in the Premier League by 12 points with nine games remaining, Liverpool should still end the season with silverware. But Van Dijk doesn’t think anyone needed the extra motivation to get over the line.
“For me personally, there shouldn’t be extra motivation,” he said. “You are playing for the biggest prize that you work so hard for. From the start of the season, no one expected us to be challenging for the Premier League.
“The Champions League we couldn’t get it done, [the Carabao Cup] we obviously lost, and the FA Cup we got knocked out. But we have nine games to go and there is no [extra] motivation needed to get the job done. What is needed is that we have to realize there is still a job to do.
“We have to turn this around. It is how football works. Five days, you lose twice and the world is sinking. Two weeks before, everything was sunshine and rainbows.
“Now, everyone goes to their respective countries and hopefully stays fit. We have a couple of days to settle down [when we get back] and then we have to be ready for Everton at home, which is going to be tough.
“There are so many things to look forward to. We play for the Premier League; the most difficult prize to get. In my opinion, one of the most toughest Premier League seasons there is. Everyone can win against each other so it is very difficult.”
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Arne Slot has now won just one of four finals that he has reached as a manager. But was he angry or frustrated with the performance, or did he have sympathy for the effort that his players had put in?
“A mixture,” Van Dijk said. “Everyone should be disappointed with not winning the cup but there is the title to win. When we come back together, it is a big game — Everton at home. We want to win that one and we have to make sure our fans are going to support us again.
“Is it five games, if we win all of them — a very difficult job — then we are going to be champions of England? If you keep these things in your mind, it is also going to help you work hard and keep going in difficult moments because I can guarantee you in all those games we have coming up, there will be so many difficult moments.
“If you are prepared to suffer, whether you are 1-0 down, 2-0, whatever — you have to keep going because you can see the end goal. You work so hard for it each and every day. When players haven’t been through that as much, it is good to speak about it. And it will all be worth it at the end of the road.”
