Liverpool central defender and captain Van Dijk recently accepted an exclusive interview with Sky Sports and talked about the team's recent troubles and some of his thoughts. When the team has gone through a difficult period, does it feel good t...
Liverpool central defender and captain Van Dijk recently accepted an exclusive interview with Sky Sports and talked about the team's recent troubles and some of his thoughts.
When the team has gone through a difficult period, does it feel good to be able to take a break during the international match and adjust a little bit?
Van Dijk: Of course, it depends on whether you win international competitions. However, that period (three consecutive defeats against Crystal Palace, Galatasaray and Chelsea) was really difficult. You have to move on quickly, this is our life. Personally, I am going to play for the national team on Thursday and I cannot dwell on the club's losing streak for too long. The important thing is to recover, prepare to win the next one, and keep improving. I'm very happy that we (the Dutch team) won both games and now I'm really looking forward to the weekend and facing the tough games with my teammates.
Looking back on the state of the three-game losing streak, people will discuss the defensive data and "how many goals did you concede?" Now that I have time to think, what are the different perspectives on this?
Van Dijk: Obviously we need to improve in terms of offense, defense, ball control, set pieces, etc. But the fact is, we won seven out of 10 games. We still have a lot to improve on, so you can put this in perspective. If we can improve, this season will be very special.
We know how the world works - there is a lot of noise, a lot of analysis, but we have to stay calm, focus on future goals and games, and work hard to improve any shortcomings. We are not blind, we know we have to be better. It’s been a tough season given the opponents we faced and the situation we were in. Now we have to be mentally prepared to deal with it, especially on the pitch, and show it in future games. We have showcase opportunities every three or four days and this weekend is another good opportunity.
How important is the experience and experience of previous championships when going through difficult moments?
Van Dijk: Experience is important in any situation, whether it is on the field or shared with others. But that's all in the past tense—that's the past. You can't always think "we are the champions". We have to perform well every three or four days, this is our life.
For example, those trophies are of no use against a three-game losing streak. What really helps is taking the experience from last year and applying it to the next game and that's what we're trying to do. If it were that easy, a lot of teams would be like that. You can’t get carried away – just focus on the task in front of you and strive to improve.
Mini-game recommendations:Number Shoot
