Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has emphasized that his team cannot ease off in their pursuit of the Premier League title, despite holding a strong lead at the top of the table.
Van Dijk urged Liverpool’s fringe players to stay ready, highlighting that everyone has an important role to play in the club’s title chase. The dominant Dutch defender, who led his side to a vital clean sheet against Bournemouth, believes the team has regained full fitness at just the right time.
Federico Chiesa, fully fit, was left out of the matchday squad on Saturday, while Bournemouth’s bench was made up of young academy players. Following Mohamed Salah’s impressive double in the 2-0 victory at the Vitality, Van Dijk expressed confidence that Liverpool’s squad depth will be crucial as they aim for success in multiple competitions during the season’s final stretch.
He stated: “First of all, on Bournemouth, because I’ve mentioned it before, it’s a big credit to them how they were performing even with all the injuries they had.” He added, “For us personally, we need everyone, we need everyone to push each other but we need everyone to be consistent and in form as well. We’re in all the competitions still, so we need everyone to participate.”
Van Dijk further praised the contributions of players who came on during the match, stating, “The boys that came on today did well and that’s what we need, I think throughout the whole season those that come on have made an impact and that’s the positive thing about the squad. Everyone needs to feel part of it and I think that’s the case with us.”
Despite Liverpool’s impressive 19-match unbeaten streak in the Premier League, Van Dijk acknowledged that great form does not always guarantee titles. The Dutch defender wants the experience of the club’s senior players, those who won the title in 2020, to help guide them to the finish line.
He explained: “Yeah of course, we have to share our experience. That’s part of life or football in general. Cody [Gakpo] also mentioned that we have to stay calm. Things like that are very important. We have to put our full focus on everything that’s ahead of you. The guys played in Holland while we rested, we treat everyone with the utmost respect and they deserved it.”
With their attention now shifting to the Carabao Cup semi-final, Liverpool faces a tough task of overturning a 1-0 deficit against a Tottenham side struggling with injuries.
When asked if their victory over Bournemouth could be seen as a statement win, Van Dijk was cautious about drawing such conclusions. He said: “Hopefully at the end of the season we can say that. We’ll have a few days off then we’ll fully focus on turning the tie around against Spurs, which is going to be difficult as well. I’m looking forward to it and then we’ll see at the end of the season if they were statement wins but I don’t want to put a label on a particular win as we have 15 games left in the Premier League and hopefully many more in other competitions too.”
Van Dijk also made it clear that no one at Liverpool is paying attention to the league standings just yet. He concluded: “Why should we look at the table on the first of February? There’s no point. We don’t look at it. I’ve said it many times. We just have to focus on the games that we face. If the gap is big or close, we have to just try and win our games because that’s the only thing we have influence on.”
