Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has hit out at ‘ridiculous takes’ and negative ‘outside noise’ which he and his team-mates have had to cope with during their recent losing streak.
The Reds finally got back to winning ways against Aston Villa on Saturday night, winning 2-0 at Anfield after a run of four straight losses in the Premier League and six defeats in seven across all competitions.
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Asked about how difficult it has been as the leader of the group to maintain morale and focus during the difficult period, Van Dijk told TNT Sports: “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.”
Slot: Fans supported me as well as the team
Liverpool boss Arne Slot was asked about the support of the home fans at Anfield on Saturday and he revealed that he felt his players and always he himself needed that backing after the criticism of their poor run of form.
“A lot, of course,” said Slot about how much the fans helped. “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.”