Virgil van Dijk sends 'pressure' warning to boss Arne Slot after reality check (original) (raw)

Virgil van Dijk was pivotal to Liverpool's perfect Champions League start against Italian giants AC Milan and has now sent a message to his own teammates and new boss Arne Slot

Virgil van Dijk

Virgil van Dijk has warned Arne Slot will get no honeymoon period as Liverpool boss.

Liverpool delivered the most eye-catching result of Slot’s new reign as they began their Champions League campaign by winning at European superpowers AC Milan. But that came after they lost at home to Nottingham Forest and they went from a disastrous setback to an unforgettable win in the San Siro in the space of three days.

Van Dijk says Forest was a “reality check” but warned if they want to be successful they cannot let their standards drop and Slot will soon feel the heat if they slip up again. Liverpool captain van Dijk said: “In football you have to deliver today and tomorrow and if you don't then the pressure can pile up from the outside but we have to stay calm.

“Obviously I have a big role in that, the manager has a big role in that and we as players have to show it on the pitch. We have to - and I said it after the game - we have to stay calm and focus on our targets but going back to that game, losing at home to Forest, no disrespect to them, just us losing at home is a reality check and a shock.

“It can't happen if you want to achieve things that I want to with the club. So Milan was a good reaction and now it is recovery, go home and Saturday is a big one.”

Liverpool face Bournemouth on Saturday and it has been a gift of a start for Slot in what is an unenviable task of following Jurgen Klopp. But rather than take maximum points, they slipped against Forest and van Dijk says he was very happy with the response in Milan even after falling behind early on. And tellingly, he went back over that Forest game again admitting it must have looked like they had “no plan.”

Van Dijk said: “I think, especially after the first three minutes, we showed the reaction in Milan I like to see. On to many more. You have to remember, who is saying things are a disaster (if we don’t win)? People from the outside, so what can you do about the outside? The only influence we have is what we do on the pitch.

Virgil van Dijk helped Liverpool to victory at AC Milan (

Image:

Getty Images)

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“You saw the reaction in Milan and when you play the way we want to play instead of running around a lot, looking like we have absolutely no plan, like we did especially as we did for the last half an hour, then you can play for another hour and you won't score.”

Van Dijk was on target in Milan with central defensive partner Ibrahima Konate and he says set pieces can be important this season along with fellow Dutchman Cody Gakpo who tried to prove a point in Milan on his first start of the season.

Van Dijk added: “Last year he played some great games too and I don't think we should forget that, in my opinion. Obviously the last couple of weeks, apart from the national team, I know what he can produce and we all know what he can produce. But when you play just one game a week, I think the players need to be patient and we need everyone to be at their best.

“We try every game to be important at set-pieces. I think the last game I had two chances and maybe sometimes it looks and sounds easier than it is. Me and Ibou are both 6ft 4, or whatever, and we should score every ball that comes into the box.

“But sometimes you are double marked and obviously it is not always perfect, so you have to fight for it. But we were there and we can see how important it is because you saw today, Ibou's goal was big, my goal was a big help in order to get going for the second, so it was good.”

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