Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has condemned the ‘stupid behavior’ and negative ‘outside noise’ he and his team-mates have had to deal with during their recent losing streak.
The Reds finally picked up a win against Aston Villa on Saturday night. They won 2-0 at Anfield after a fourth successive defeat in the Premier League and a sixth defeat in seven games in all competitions.
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When asked how difficult it was for him as the group’s leader to maintain morale and focus during difficult times, Van Dijk said: TNT Sports: “What I’ve noticed, especially over the last few weeks, is that there’s a lot of noise that’s out of our control and a lot of noise that we have to deal with as a team.
“Some of these takes are completely ridiculous, but you have to deal with it. It’s outside noise that can reach certain players, groups of people, and stick together.
“We’re not going out on the pitch to lose the game. We’re not going out there to be disappointed after the game or to disappoint the fans going home. We want to relax and win the game, but there are no guarantees. “You’re playing in the Premier League, the biggest league in the world, and it’s difficult to keep your composure, but if we want to get back to where we want to be, we have to do it. That’s it. But that’s something we’ll have to look at later in the season.
“Now is the time to keep working. Never get too high, never get too low.
“We live in a world now for footballers, because that’s the only thing I can say, everyone can have their opinion on so many platforms and everyone knows better. We need to get away from that and focus on the hard work we’ve been doing.
“Last season you didn’t hear much negative news. Everything was sunshine and rainbows everywhere. Now it sounded to the outside world like we were going to have a relegation battle, so that’s how it works in the world.”
Slot: The fans supported me and the team.
liverpool manager Arne Slot Asked about the support of the home fans at Anfield on Saturday, he revealed he felt for his players and that he needed that support himself after criticism of their poor form.
“Of course it’s been a lot,” Slott said of how much the fans have helped. “It’s a difficult situation for me, especially because it happened at 0-0, not when you’re leading or top of the league, but we’re in a difficult situation as a club, as a team and I’m obviously part of that.
“And I think the support the players got and the support I got was what makes this club special. They never forget that you were part of something special and they help you, especially when things are difficult.”
“And that’s been the case in the last few weeks. The situation was difficult. We were not winning, we were losing. So they felt that the players, maybe even me, needed some support and that’s what they were getting from the fans.”
