Virgil van Dijk has compared the scale of Liverpool’s task to Barcelona’s against Paris Saint-Germain in 2019, but admitted belief in Arne Slot’s team may not be as strong amid an “unacceptable” season.
Liverpool need another remarkable Anfield comeback to salvage their Champions League aspirations after losing the quarter-final first leg 2-0 against PSG on Wednesday. The scoreline flattered the Premier League champions, who were outclassed at the Parc des Princes, yet Van Dijk is “100%” confident the tie can be turned around on home soil. Memories of Barcelona in 2019 boost the captain’s conviction.
Jurgen Klopp’s side were trailing 3-0 after the first leg of the semi-final against Lionel Messi’s Barcelona, ​​but won 4-0 on an unforgettable night at Anfield on their way to winning the European Cup for the sixth time. Ousmane Dembele’s profligacy in Paris, where he missed an almost identical chance to his stoppage-time effort at the Camp Nou seven years ago, offered another parallel to Liverpool.
“At that time, you played one of the best teams in Europe, obviously one of the best players ever in that team and we had injuries,” Van Dijk said. “And now we play against the best team in Europe. They are the European champions, so I think it’s equal on paper, probably nobody gives us a chance.
“It starts with the belief that comes in. It starts with the belief that we get from our manager, the right gameplan and the intensity that we have to put in from the first second to the last if you really want to achieve something. That’s what I want. And that’s what I’m going to tell my boys. We have to show it. We have to show desire, show fight – that’s the least you have to do as a Liverpool player.”
Van Dijk insisted Liverpool showed the fight against Luis Enrique’s team that was lacking in last Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Manchester City. However, after 16 defeats in all competitions this season, including 17 defeats on penalties in the Community Shield, the Netherlands international believes Liverpool’s current team does not compare to the Klopp era.
“It’s unacceptable,” the defender said of the defeat. “That’s the reality. That’s the big reality, and that’s why it’s so frustrating. And it’s so hard to deal with. Things will always end eventually, including my time at a certain point. Right now, the reality is that we’re inconsistent. We’re losing a lot of games. We have some good moments, and we don’t stay consistent in that sense.
“But there was a time before that when we had so many good years, and we came out of that as a club as well. It’s down to us as players that we really have to realize that we have to do it all together. We need each other. At the moment we lose a lot of games, and the performances have not been good and we are struggling to find consistency. It is not easy. But the reality is that it is the way it is, and you have to accept it, from “Things have to be dealt with and improved upon. At a certain point others have to move on, hopefully with success.”
Liverpool had only two days to train with a three-man central defense deployed in Paris, the first time he had adopted that formation in his time at Anfield. Despite losing three games in a row, starting with a 2-1 defeat at Brighton, Van Dijk believes Liverpool’s recovery in the last 16 against Galatasaray and last season’s performance against PSG at Anfield give hope for Tuesday’s second leg.
The captain said: “Obviously, it is a team of a different quality that we face (Galatasaray), with all respect. But the game we played against them (PSG) last year, we lost on penalties, but if you analyze that game we started so well, full of energy, Mo (Salah) created the biggest chance when Nuno Mendes stopped the ball. It could have changed the game.
“You need everything together to turn it around because we play against a team that is excellent in every department. But it also comes back to you, and belief, and pride: we are Liverpool. That’s why this particular moment hurts so much personally, and it should hurt for everyone in the dressing room too.”
