The Reds got leads and kept them against both Inter Milan and Brighton, and the team captain thinks this is a platform he can build on:
The mood in the dressing room has always been very good. It can obviously
go down in terms of performances, if you win or lose. But the main thing I see is that we all have the will to turn this around, and the hunger and energy to do so. But obviously it’s about what happens between those white lines in 95 minutes. That’s what we can influence and that’s what we want to do.
[Against Brighton] and also midweek, we did that very well. But we all know the season is still so long. We want to be consistent, because that’s something I’ve experienced for almost all my time at Liverpool. We just have to keep going and stay calm.
Van Dijk felt good about how his team managed games on their last two outings:
[The game management was] Very pleasing. I’ve been very fortunate, especially at Anfield, to win a lot of games and keep clean sheets and feel like there is no way a team could beat us here. That feeling was incredible. And obviously the last couple of weeks we have been struggling, we have been going through ups and downs, and that’s obviously difficult to take.
But it’s all about the hard work, the confidence, and the way you defend with each other that matters. I think you saw especially [against Brighton] but also the midweek game how much commitment there is. That’s obviously a good thing to see for me as a captain as well. That all helps.
Of particular emphasis was the defensive performances recently, with clean sheets returning. The Dutchman was asked to speak about his partner at centerback, who has been much-discussed this season:
Everyone at his best helps, everyone in the team. That’s why it’s a team sport. Ibou [Konaté] is a fantastic defender. Obviously when the team is not performing as a collective, then we as the last line could be exposed. And that happened at times as well.
Individual mistakes cost us, including myself at times. Unfortunately, that’s part of the game. It’s how you deal with it, how you react to it. I think Ibou, as an example, has been in the last two games especially outstanding. He’s working on things, like we all do. He helps me, I help him and that’s how it should be. We are not perfect. He wants the best for the club and I’m pretty sure that will be absolutely fine.
