A day after Liverpool’s shocking performance against Nottingham Forest, most people associated with the club along with the fanbase are locked onto what this means for the club. Whether it be new paths
forward or what the result itself might have indicated everyone is on high alert.
Club captain Virgil Van Dijk isn’t any different and offered up his typically frank analysis
on what went wrong, leading to Saturday’s difficult loss.“We concede too many easy goals. I think in the first half an hour we were good, created good opportunities. They scored obviously from a set-piece again; you can ask yourself if he was in front of Alisson, but it counted so you’re 1-0 down. I think overall we were just not good in terms of the battles, the challenges, the second-ball fight. Too rushed. It’s a very, very difficult situation at the moment. It was a tough day.”
The fact that Forest’s opener came from a set piece has not been overlooked given Liverpool’s struggles from those situations. Van Dijk was asked about it and provided an answer that displays the team are also working towards finding solutions.
“It’s definitely a problem. I take responsibility. But I think everyone in the team, not only the starters but the guys around as well, have to take responsibility as well because football is a team game, we all do it together and we need everyone at their best. In order to win games, you have to take responsibility. That’s what I’ve mentioned as well. Now you have to digest this, take it on the chin and work harder. Obviously I’ve been saying it quite a lot already this season and it’s not been working out so far, but we have to keep going.”
Not much has been made around these parts about the atmosphere at Anfield, but shots of fans leaving early, empty seats in the stands before the final whistle, and an observation from this writer that it felt generally quite quiet that day are all on the table. The captain was asked about the fans during this interview and offered up this tidbit.
“I can’t decide obviously what the supporters are doing. If they leave early, obviously I can understand the frustration fully. But I know the fans have been through thick and thin with us over all those years and that’s how Liverpool is. I’m pretty sure that they will always stick with us regardless. And when we come out of this – because we will come out of this – they will be there with us as well.”
At the end of the day, Van Dijk and the rest of the lads are going to need to take the time to sort things out. Perhaps fortunately, the team don’t have much time to wallow in this low – or many lows – as the fixtures remain crowded most weeks headed into the festive season. This week, Liverpool will need to prepare to face PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday in Champions League play before turning their attention to West Ham on the weekend.
Liverpool had reasons to be hopeful at the beginning of the year as they managed to turn away difficult challenges and came out of a tricky opening month in good shape. That start feels like decades away now as the club are mired in one of the worst stretches I can remember as a fan.
It is a very difficult moment, as VVD has said. The hallmark of a strong club is its ability to respond to adversity. We’ll find out in short order exactly what this club, including its stalwarts, has in the tank in very short order. Let’s hope they can bring the grit and mental strength to spark a turnaround.
