'Some of those takes are absolutely ridiculous' - Virgil van Dijk hits back after Liverpool return to winning ways and insists 'it sounded like we were going to be in a relegation battle'
Virgil van Dijk has slammed the “ridiculous” criticism Liverpool faced before they ended their Premier League losing streak against Aston Villa. The Netherlands defender has hit out at the negative “outside noise” which greeted a run of form which saw the Reds lose successive league games against Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Manchester United and Brentford.Liverpool returned to winning ways as they defeated Unai Emery’s Villa 2-0 on Saturday evening. Goals from Mohamed Salah and Ryan Gravenberch helped Arne Slot’s side breathe a sigh of relief after a testing eight-game stretch in which they also suffered defeats against Galatasaray and Palace in the Champions League and Carabao Cup respectively.Such was Liverpool’s worrying run of form that Van Dijk revealed earlier this month that he called a players’ meeting following the 2-1 reverse against United. However, the Dutchman has since criticised the reaction to what was a difficult period for the club, saying the coverage was akin to a side fighting relegation.Speaking to TNT Sports after his side’s win over Villa, Van Dijk said: "What I have noticed over the last couple of weeks especially is that there is a lot of noise that you have no control over and that we have to deal with as a team."Some of those takes are absolutely ridiculous. But you have to deal with that. It's outside noise that can reach certain players, the group. It's about sticking together."We're not going out there on the pitch to lose games, we're not going out there to be disappointed after games or leave fans disappointed going home, we want to work our socks off and win games. But there's no guarantee. You play in the Premier League, the highest level, in the biggest league in the world, and it's difficult to stay calm but you have to do if you want to get back to where we want to be. That's up there. But that's something for later in the season to look at."Now it's time to keep working, never get too high, never get too low."We live in a world now, for footballers at least, because that's the only thing I can speak about, where everyone can have their opinion on so many platforms and everyone knows it better. We have to try to stay away from that and focus on the hard work we've been doing."Last season we didn't hear much negative stuff. Everything was sunshine and rainbows everywhere. Now it sounded like, by the outside world, we're going to be in the relegation battle, so that's how it works in the world.”Acknowledging that both he and his players had been rocked by their recent wobble, Liverpool boss Slot was keen to pay tribute to the Anfield faithful for getting behind the team when they really needed them against Villa.Asked how much the supporters helped against Villa, Slot said: "A lot, of course. Especially because it happened at 0-0, so not when you are leading and not when you are top of the league but when you are in a difficult situation as a club, as a team and because I'm definitely a part of that, it's also a difficult situation for me."And then to get the support the players got but also I got, that is something that makes this club special, I think. They don't forget if you've been part of something special and they help you especially if things are difficult."And that's what it was the last few weeks, things were difficult, we were not winning, by the way, we were losing. And so they felt the players, maybe even me, needed a bit of support and that's what you get from these fans.”Liverpool are looking to build on their victory over Villa when they entertain Real Madrid in a mouth-watering Champions League tie on Tuesday. The match will see former defender Trent Alexander-Arnold return to Merseyside for the first time after switching to the Spanish giants in the summer. Real boss Xabi Alonso - who represented the Reds as a player between 2004 and 2009 - also faces a reunion with his former club.
Virgil van Dijk has slammed the “ridiculous” criticism Liverpool faced before they ended their Premier League losing streak against Aston Villa. The Netherlands defender has hit out at the negative “outside noise” which greeted a run of form which saw the Reds lose successive league games against Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Manchester United and Brentford.Liverpool returned to winning ways as they defeated Unai Emery’s Villa 2-0 on Saturday evening. Goals from Mohamed Salah and Ryan Gravenberch helped Arne Slot’s side breathe a sigh of relief after a testing eight-game stretch in which they also suffered defeats against Galatasaray and Palace in the Champions League and Carabao Cup respectively.Such was Liverpool’s worrying run of form that Van Dijk revealed earlier this month that he called a players’ meeting following the 2-1 reverse against United. However, the Dutchman has since criticised the reaction to what was a difficult period for the club, saying the coverage was akin to a side fighting relegation.Speaking to TNT Sports after his side’s win over Villa, Van Dijk said: "What I have noticed over the last couple of weeks especially is that there is a lot of noise that you have no control over and that we have to deal with as a team."Some of those takes are absolutely ridiculous. But you have to deal with that. It's outside noise that can reach certain players, the group. It's about sticking together."We're not going out there on the pitch to lose games, we're not going out there to be disappointed after games or leave fans disappointed going home, we want to work our socks off and win games. But there's no guarantee. You play in the Premier League, the highest level, in the biggest league in the world, and it's difficult to stay calm but you have to do if you want to get back to where we want to be. That's up there. But that's something for later in the season to look at."Now it's time to keep working, never get too high, never get too low."We live in a world now, for footballers at least, because that's the only thing I can speak about, where everyone can have their opinion on so many platforms and everyone knows it better. We have to try to stay away from that and focus on the hard work we've been doing."Last season we didn't hear much negative stuff. Everything was sunshine and rainbows everywhere. Now it sounded like, by the outside world, we're going to be in the relegation battle, so that's how it works in the world.”Acknowledging that both he and his players had been rocked by their recent wobble, Liverpool boss Slot was keen to pay tribute to the Anfield faithful for getting behind the team when they really needed them against Villa.Asked how much the supporters helped against Villa, Slot said: "A lot, of course. Especially because it happened at 0-0, so not when you are leading and not when you are top of the league but when you are in a difficult situation as a club, as a team and because I'm definitely a part of that, it's also a difficult situation for me."And then to get the support the players got but also I got, that is something that makes this club special, I think. They don't forget if you've been part of something special and they help you especially if things are difficult."And that's what it was the last few weeks, things were difficult, we were not winning, by the way, we were losing. And so they felt the players, maybe even me, needed a bit of support and that's what you get from these fans.”Liverpool are looking to build on their victory over Villa when they entertain Real Madrid in a mouth-watering Champions League tie on Tuesday. The match will see former defender Trent Alexander-Arnold return to Merseyside for the first time after switching to the Spanish giants in the summer. Real boss Xabi Alonso - who represented the Reds as a player between 2004 and 2009 - also faces a reunion with his former club.
