Virgil van Dijk sends a bold title message to his teammates ahead of Fulham, setting Liverpool as his aim.
On Thursday night, Liverpool were eliminated from the Europa League. The Reds’ three-goal deficit from the first leg against Atalanta in Italy was too much to overcome.
Despite Liverpool’s dismal Europa League exit, Virgil van Dijk is still upbeat about the team’s chances in the Premier League, saying “anything is still possible”.
After winning 1-0 in Bergamo, the Reds’ European adventure came to an end on Thursday night after they were unable to overturn a three-goal deficit from the first leg against Atalanta.
Despite having the most of the ball, Jürgen Klopp’s team had trouble breaking past Atalanta’s resilient defence. Liverpool’s European campaign is now ended, and the team must now concentrate on catching up to Manchester City in the title fight.
Liverpool lost to Crystal Palace at Anfield on Sunday, dropping two points behind the latter.
Liverpool is currently preparing for an important stretch of away matches that will determine the outcome of the season, including matches against Fulham, Everton, and West Ham United.
Van Dijk highlighted the team’s need for perseverance and celebrated the team’s first win in three games as a result of the team’s effort.
Van Dijk gave his thoughts on the game in an interview with TNT Sports: “I think we played better than we did last week and we won and kept a clean sheet today.”
“There were a lot of good things that happened today, but it hurts to know that you are no longer in the competition. We must rise again; we have all experienced challenging times together and know how to achieve it.
“The key to this and professionalism is demonstrating maturity and unity. It was a difficult game today, and we all know that Sunday will be even harder, so we need to be prepared for that.
It is the duty of each individual to ensure that they are psychologically and physically prepared for it. That’s the current goal. We don’t have much time to be disappointed; I, along with everyone else, am disappointed.
“Hopefully our fans will be there again, I have no doubt actually, but we need them more than ever for the last six games of the season where anything is still possible.”
According to Liverpool.com, although the Europa League elimination is upsetting, Liverpool cannot afford to let this season end. Sunday’s match against Fulham is a must-win, and winning will significantly alter the atmosphere there. Although the title fight isn’t finished yet, if Liverpool keeps losing at Craven Cottage, it soon will be.