‘Matter of fact’ – Virgil van Dijk issues Liverpool reality check after defeat to Arsenal
Story updated
The story in brief
16-second readVirgil van Dijk advised Liverpool to focus on themselves after a 1-0 loss to Arsenal, according to Empire of the Kop. The team trails the league leaders by nine points and is in a transitional phase following a head coach change. Van Dijk stated that thinking about other teams, like Arsenal and Manchester City, is not beneficial.

The full picture
Virgil van Dijk advised Liverpool to focus on themselves after a 1-0 loss to Arsenal, according to Empire of the Kop. The team trails the league leaders by nine points and is in a transitional phase following a head coach change. Van Dijk stated that thinking about other teams, like Arsenal and Manchester City, is not beneficial. He emphasized the need to focus on their own process.
Van Dijk acknowledged that Liverpool has been together for four months but faces intense pressure for results, especially at home. He noted that the team is in a transition and that the main focus should be on working hard and seeing improvement. The loss to Arsenal was seen as an opportunity for a good result that unfortunately did not materialize.
Empire of the Kop suggests that Liverpool's objective is to finish closer to the top and show improvement over the previous season. The team is projected to end with around 63 points, but improving their home record could push this into the 70s. Van Dijk's focus on internal improvement aligns with the goal of qualifying for the Champions League and laying foundations for further improvement.
At a glance
- Reporting status
- Reported
- Original publisher
- Empire of the Kop ↗
- Source published
- Clubs covered
- Arsenal, Liverpool
Attributed publisher reporting. Kickjolly has not independently confirmed the claim.
Source context
Virgil van Dijk has advised Liverpool to forget about what their Premier League rivals are doing and concentrate on themselves, following the defeat to Arsenal at the weekend. The Reds now trail the champions and leaders by nine points after the 1-0 loss at Anfield on Sunday, and Daily Mail writer Ian Ladyman said that the result shows that Andoni Iraola’s side are ‘not ready‘ to properly contend for the top-flight title this season. It was a second home defeat in the space of a month for LFC, who were also beaten on their own patch by second-placed Manchester City, and the veteran Dutch defender acknowledged that his team are in a transitional phase after changing head coach over the summer.
Source excerpt · Empire of the Kop
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