Club captain says mood is better in the dressing room after emergency meeting
Virgil van Dijk has revealed he called a players’ meeting to increase everyone’s confidence after Liverpool lost to Manchester United at home.
The Premier League champions suffered four consecutive defeats that included losing to their big rivals at home last weekend. But they responded by dismantling Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday night, a result that eased pressure on the team and coach Arne Slot.
Van Dijk was among the scorers in Germany, as a drastically changed side delivered one of their most convincing displays of the season.
“On Monday, everyone was sad because we lost to Man United at home,” said Van Dijk. “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.
The club captain said the focus was on encouraging each other to stay composed despite all the criticism flowing in from outside during the losing run.
“Nobody wants to lose four games in a row, but it was the situation we faced,” said Van Dijk. “We had to stay calm and block out all the noise from the outside because that’s something you can’t control.
“The only way to get out of a situation like that is to stay together, keep your mind on the task ahead, try to improve, keep the confidence, embrace the moment.
“They are all things that are easier to say than actually do. But if you want to get out of it, you have to do it. We live in a world now where there is always noise, always something to be said, always someone who knows better. We have to stay focused on ourselves.”
“Before my meeting yes [the mood was downbeat], but after my meeting everyone was happy.”
