Liverpool were beaten 3-2 by Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday evening to make it four defeats in a row in the top flight
Virgil van Dijk
Virgil van Dijk is frustrated with Liverpool's form(Image: Mark Leech/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
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Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has admitted that the defeat to Brentford is a bitter pill to swallow, as the Reds suffered their fourth consecutive Premier League loss. The skipper has urged his teammates to shift their mindset ahead of their clash with Crystal Palace - the team that kick-started their losing streak.
Arne Slot's side failed to build upon their victory over Frankfurt, falling short in west London after Brentford took the lead through Dango Ouattara and Kevin Schade. Despite Milos Kerkez pulling one back for Liverpool, Igor Thiago's penalty restored the Bees' advantage in the second half, with Mo Salah only managing to net a late consolation goal for the Reds.
Liverpool's road ahead doesn't look any easier as they prepare to face Oliver Glasner's Eagles in the Carabao Cup. Palace have already beat the Reds twice this season, claiming victories in both the Community Shield and the Premier League.
Van Dijk is acutely aware of this fact. "It's the reality that we lost today," he said following the defeat to Brentford.
"We have the next game on Wednesday against an opponent [Crystal Palace] who already made our life difficult this season. We have to turn our mindset pretty quickly to be ready for that.
Virgil van Dijk
Virgil van Dijk has admitted he must look in the mirror
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"They will come to Anfield to hurt us even more, but this is a tough one to take. We can't deny that. It's not an easy moment. We were trying to build on that performance against Frankfurt and this was not a nice evening to have."
Netherlands international Van Dijk bemoaned his side's failure to register a clean sheet after previously boasting a miserly defence. The centre-back acknowledged he must examine his own performance as much as anyone else in order to restore the team's lofty standards.
"It's difficult to say," responded Van Dijk when asked why Liverpool were struggling to earn clean sheets.
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"The fact we didn't keep a clean sheet for nine games! It's easy to blame a particular person, the backline or set-pieces. But it's a collective thing in the end. Everyone has to look in the mirror, including myself. I am sure we will get out of this.
"But we won't do it just by talking about it. We will try to improve. We need each other, we ned the support.
"We need the people who were celebrating with us last year to be with us now even more. We will get out of this because we have the quality offensively and defensively."