Van Dijk Wants Liverpool To Tighten Up And Backs Club To Sign Reinforcements

Virgil van Dijk has acknowledged Liverpool must amended defensively to clasp nan Premier League title and backed nan nine to bring successful much reinforcements earlier nan extremity of nan transportation window.

The Netherlands defender revealed aft Sunday’s Community Shield that he had spent nan erstwhile 5 days successful furniture pinch a virus. Van Dijk was culpable for Palace’s first equaliser in nan 2-2 tie when he brought down Ismaïla Sarr for a punishment and Liverpool’s defence struggled to incorporate nan Senegal forward, who scored his team’s 2nd to return nan crippled to a shootout won by Palace.

Aside from a 5-0 triumph against Stoke past period down closed doors, Liverpool person conceded successful each of their pre-season matches and their skipper admitted that must beryllium resolved earlier nan opening convention fixture astatine location to Bournemouth connected Friday night.

“If it was that simple, I would person told you instantly and we would person fixed it,” Van Dijk said. “But it’s a combination. You take sides arsenic a team, you property arsenic a team.

“I don’t cognize really galore chances we springiness distant [against Palace], but I deliberation there’s still possibly a fistful successful total. But nan truth is that we conceded each game, isolated from Stoke. That’s thing we person to activity on.

“I’m not worried whatsoever, because there’s besides a logic why we’re very defensively bully past year. We person to get backmost to it.”

Ryan Gravenberch missed nan Community Shield because his partner gave commencement connected Saturday nighttime and is suspended for nan Bournemouth crippled aft being sent disconnected against Palace connected nan last time of past season. Curtis Jones dropped into nan Dutchman’s accustomed position successful cardinal midfield connected Sunday and could clasp his place, on pinch nan caller full-backs Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez. Liverpool are willing successful signing Marc Guéhi, but person yet to lucifer Palace’s £40m valuation for their captain, who has entered nan last twelvemonth of his contract.

Despite an awesome capacity from Hugo Ekitike against Palace, Liverpool are besides expected to make different effort to motion Alexander Isak from Newcastle aft selling Darwin Núñez to Al-Hilal past week. Liverpool person besides sold Luis Díaz to Bayern Munich and nan Portugal guardant Diogo Jota died successful a car crash past month. They person spent astir £300m connected players.

Despite an awesome capacity from Hugo Ekitike (right) against Crystal Palace, Liverpool are expected to make different effort to motion Newcastle’s Alexander Isak. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

“I’m afloat trusting nan nine to do nan correct thing,” Van Dijk said. “What they deliberation is bully for nan club, we’ll spot successful nan adjacent mates of weeks.”

Liverpool’s ended their past title defence, nether Jürgen Klopp successful 2020-21, third, 17 points down nan champions, Manchester City. “It was rather reliable nan twelvemonth aft we won it,” Van Dijk said. “We person to put it successful our minds that immoderate happened past season, happened past season.

“As a team, arsenic a club, it was ever going to beryllium a reliable season, particularly pinch everything that happened complete nan summertime arsenic well. But nan only measurement to flooded this is to do it together arsenic a collective.”