Having lost disappointingly against Manchester United last weekend, Liverpool have crashed out of this year’s FA Cup.
With the game ticking towards 90 minutes on Sunday, the Reds had looked set for a place in the semi-final of the competition. From there, they could have continued their bid to win every trophy available to them this season.
But owing to some poor finishing and perhaps a bout of fatigue, Liverpool let United back into it. The mentality from the Reds that day has been termed ‘very strange’ by Ian Wright. In truth though, it was probably one game too far for a squad pushed to its limit.
One game that likely led to fatigue throughout the Liverpool squad was last month’s Carabao Cup final. The Reds came out victorious in a 120-minute slog of a game, with Virgil van Dijk nodding home a late, late winner. But speaking back in the Netherlands during the current international break, Van Dijk has revealed that he wasn’t totally happy on the day.
What has Virgil van Dijk said
Overseas players have a tendency to be a little less guarded when speaking to the press back in their homelands. And in an interview with Dutch outlet Voetbal International this week, Van Dijk has continued that theme.
After bagging the winner in the Carabao Cup final, the Liverpool captain was the toast of Wembley. Having scooped the Man of the Match award for a colossal display, Van Dijk turned to the cameras in the dressing room and declared: “They thought I was finished.”
Liverpool fans loved it, but as it turns out, the centre-back wishes he had kept his mouth shut.
“I was talking to someone about it this week; I shouldn’t have done that,” says Van Dijk. “Because now it seems as if that negative period has really hit me hard.
“Of course it probably did, in moments, but it was about the fact that a lot of people don’t realize how complex an anterior cruciate ligament and an inner ligament injury is. And that you don’t just come back to the level you had before.
“That’s where that emotion came from,” he added. “I am annoyed by the unnecessary noises I create myself. I don’t like noise around me at all, I’d rather people talk about the game. You can call what I did human, I think it’s clumsy of me. It distracted from what we are doing and what I want: to have a great season with the club and to play the best year of my life.”
Who was Virgil van Dijk responding to
In our opinion, Van Dijk was well within his rights to have his little moment for the camera at Wembley.
Not only was the 32-year-old absolutely unbelievable throughout the game itself, but he has indeed come back from some real turmoil.
It wasn’t just that he was injured, it’s that Van Dijk has been questioned and questioned and questioned over the last year.
Dutch pundit Ruud Gullit even addressed this yesterday. As one of Virgil’s most vocal critics last season, even Gullit has held his hands up and admitted he was wrong.
As Liverpool’s No.4 continues his terrific season so far, Gullit won’t be the only one ending up with egg on his face either.
So, we say crack on Virg. Let the know that you’re not finished yet!