Liverpool head to the Etihad on Sunday knowing that a third straight win could drag us right back into the title picture and Arne Slot has made it clear he’s standing firmly behind his captain ahead of the showdown.
Slot backs Van Dijk after Rooney row
Virgil van Dijk against Aston Villa
(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the clash with Manchester City, the Dutchman addressed the recent war of words between Wayne Rooney and Virgil van Dijk, which began after the former United striker accused our skipper of losing intensity since signing a new deal.
Rooney has since admitted he was “maybe a bit unfair” but Slot made sure there was no confusion about where he stands.
He said: “When you walk through the AXA [training centre], when we start the training session, you can hear him, you can feel he’s our leader. He’s been a very good captain for me.”
The 47-year-old explained that the criticism comes with the territory when you’ve set your standards so high.
“He sets the bar at ten out of ten and when he has a nine out of ten performance, he sometimes gets criticised for that. Maybe he should see it as a compliment, because that’s where he’s set the bar.”
It’s a measured but firm defence from a manager who knows exactly how much Van Dijk means to us, not just on the pitch but in the dressing room too.
With Rio Ferdinand praising Van Dijk over his ‘prickly’ reply to Rooney, even those outside Anfield can recognise the authority and character our captain brings.
Pep praise and title race reminder
Mo Salah against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium
(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Slot also took time to praise Pep Guardiola ahead of his 1,000th game in management, calling City’s boss “a joy to watch” and admitting that analysing his teams is “never boring”.
But beneath the admiration is a quiet confidence.
After back-to-back wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid, the Reds have found their rhythm again.
And with the numbers backing us up, we’ve beaten City twice in a row and haven’t lost four straight away league games since 2012, there’s real belief we can spoil Guardiola’s milestone.
For all the talk of Rooney, Pep and pundits, Slot’s message couldn’t be clearer. Van Dijk leads this team and he always has.
And he’ll need to do it again on Sunday when we go to war at the Etihad.
You can watch Slot’s comments on Szoboszlai via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:
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