Liverpool supporters let their team have it at full-time on Saturday after watching a desperately disappointing draw against Burnley.
The Reds looked to be on their way to three points having put in an improved first-half display, but a dramatic drop-off allowed the visitors to claw their way back.
For Liverpool fans, this was the last straw. Having patiently sat through dismal home draws against fellow newly-promoted sides Sunderland and Leeds, they decided they could not hold off any longer. Boos rang out around Anfield.
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What would your response be to Virgil van Dijk?
Liverpool supporters have had enough this season đź«Ł
Virgil van Dijk pictured in action during Liverpool's UEFA Champions League match against Inter Milan at San Siro (Credit: Getty Images/Giuseppe Cottini).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Guiseppe Cottini
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“I don’t like boos from my own fans,” said captain Virgil van Dijk after the game, insisting that the team need support while going through a difficult moment, not the opposite.
Clearly, Van Dijk has a semblance of a point, and booing has never been the Liverpool way. However, he must see the other side of the coin and recognise that fans have been giving support, but they are owed much better than this.
Virgil van Dijk should understand fans’ frustrations
Van Dijk has been an excellent captain for Liverpool since taking on the armband two-and-a-half years ago, that is not in question.
But if there is one small criticism that can be levelled at the Dutchman, it is that he does not always seem to see things from a supporter’s perspective.
Liverpool's Dutch defender #04 Virgil van Dijk (C) leaves the pitch at half time during the English Premier League football match between Leeds United and Liverpool at Elland Road
Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP via Getty Images
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There is a mutual love there, of course, but statements like the ones he made following the Burnley draw show that he is not immune to being out of touch.
The boos were not created in a vacuum, and this was not purely frustration after one bad result. Things have been declining all season long and the fact of the matter is that the current form is simply not good enough.
Fans pay good money to watch Liverpool, and they deserve to be rewarded with a team who play fast, positive, attacking football. While that is not always possible, there is no excuse for games against relegation-fodder to be so drab and one-dimensional.
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Arne Slot reacts during Liverpool's Premier League match against Burnley at Anfield (Credit: Getty Images/Oli Scarf/AFP)
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Oli Scarf/AFP
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Rather than taking aim at supporters who have been patient in the midst of a really below-par campaign, Van Dijk should focus his energy on getting more out of his teammates and bringing Liverpool back to where they should be.
Liverpool cannot afford player/fan divide
As the de facto spokesperson for the dressing room, Van Dijk’s words carry a lot of weight, and it is safe to say that if he is thinking it, then his teammates are as well.
That is precisely why comments like these aimed towards the fans have the potential to do more harm than good.
There is already a divide between players, fans and coaching staff for the way the team has performed this season. The players clearly think they are putting in the effort levels required and things simply are not turning around for them while supporters – rightly – see it differently.
The last thing Liverpool need right now is for that divide to deepen. If it does, things will unravel even faster and could quickly become extremely toxic.
Van Dijk is right in the sense that everyone connected with Liverpool needs to pull together in order to salvage something from the season, so he should take his own advice and not stoke the flames even further in the direction of justifiably angry supporters.
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