Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk has admitted that the potential rewards on offer this season make it worth taking risks when necessary. Many managers, faced with Arne Slot's predicament of seeing Andy Robertson sent off after 17 minutes while being 1-0 down at home to Fulham, would have removed a forward to bolster the defence and then attempted to salvage something from the game later on.
However, Slot maintained his trust in the players on the pitch, briefly adjusting the formation to a back three with midfielder Ryan Gravenberch dropping back before settling on another reshuffle, reverting to a flat four with Joe Gomez on the right. From that point, the Premier League leaders not only sought an equaliser but also a victory, and they were rewarded with Cody Gakpo’s diving header just after half-time, only to fall behind again when Rodrigo Muniz scored.
Nevertheless, Slot continued to press, and substitute Diogo Jota, returning after an 11-match absence, made it 2-2 in the 86th minute, although the hosts could not force a winner. "It’s a brave thing to do but it was the right thing to do because we have the quality to hurt opponents, even with 10 men and there was so much time left on the clock," Van Dijk said.
"It’s still a bit of a risk, but we got the rewards from it and that’s the main thing.
"We don’t want to be in the situation where you take that much risk but if you are 1-0 down, 2-1 down you have to."
Van Dijk hailed the determination exhibited in their latest fixture, noting: "The will and the resilience was a good sign as it was a lot more difficult than it already was, but we had to keep going for ourselves and everyone connected with Liverpool.
"We could have taken three points, if I’m absolutely honest, but it is what it is."
In the wake of criticism directed at the team by Slot following a less-than-convincing Champions League performance, Van Dijk praised the response seen on the pitch: "The effort the players put in was the ideal response to the criticism from Slot after their lacklustre Champions League win in Girona on Tuesday."
The defender emphasised the contemplative process the team engaged in. "I think everyone should have felt that," he said, "It’s about how much you want to sprint back and how good our press is and especially those two things weren’t at our standards and we spoke about it, we’ve seen clips about it and that’s a good thing because then you learn from it."
With title rivals Arsenal being held to a draw, Liverpool's point could hold significance as the season progresses. Additionally, the match marked the return of Jota, whose performance drew compliments from his captain: "Very pleased for him. I think he was very good when he came on in that false nine/number 10-ish, very lively and that’s what he brings to the team," expressing hope for Jota's continued fitness and importance to the squad.
Finally, reflecting on Manchester City's recent dip linked to fixture congestion, Van Dijk showed no sympathy, recognizing it as an obstacle all top teams must endure.
"Injuries are piling up, you see that with different teams, and the amount of games we play then injuries are bound to happen and that could change the quality of games as well," remarked the Netherlands skipper. "But what they (City) have been going through with injuries and inconsistent games, going up and down, we’ve been there as well and it’s not an easy place to get out of and it’s not an easy place to be in."
"I won’t speak about them because I don’t focus on them, but I know how difficult it is to go through that and hopefully we don’t go through it but we also have the injuries."