Olympique de Marseille v Liverpool FC - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD7 - Source: Getty
Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk comes up with unusual excuse following Liverpool's loss against Bournemouth
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has come up with an unusual excuse following his side's 3-2 loss against Bournemouth. Arne Slot's side suffered their seventh Premier League defeat of the campaign at the hands of Andoni Iraola's side at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday, January 24.
Van Dijk made a costly error which led to Bournemouth's opener in the 26th minute as the Dutchman failed to react to a long ball. His hesitation in clearing the ball saw Alex Scott provide Evanilson with a golden chance to open the scoring and the Brazilian obliged.
Alex Jimenez doubled the Cherries' lead seven minutes later while Liverpool were down to ten men following Joe Gomez's injury. Van Dijk made partial amends with a goal in the first added minute of the first half before Dominik Szoboszlai equalised from a free kick in the 80th minute.
Bournemouth capitalised on Liverpool's inability to deal with long throws as they eventually secured the winner in the 95th minute through Amine Adli. Following the game, van Dijk insisted that the windy weather made things extremely difficult for his side. Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, the Dutchman said, via Tribal Football:
"The first goal was a difficult one to judge during the circumstances, the wind was very tricky. I think you saw it when we played long balls on that side it was very difficult to judge. So to concede that wasn’t an issue but it’s not good. To concede two goals in a short period is not good at all. The goal I scored before half-time was really important for momentum in the second-half back and I think we showed that."
Van Dijk added:
"We worked so hard to get back into the game, we had a free-kick and some great opportunities as well but in the end, that throw in cost us. I am very disappointed. Last minute of the game is very tough to take, we worked very hard in the second half to get back in the game and to concede that late is disappointing.”
Liverpool are now without a win in their last five Premier League games and Arne Slot is evidently under a lot of pressure. They are fourth in the table with 36 points in 23 games and could slip out of the top five by the end of the matchday.
Liverpool to recall defender from loan if Andy Robertson leaves: Reports
Liverpool will reportedly recall Kostas Tsimikas from his loan spell at AS Roma if they lose Andy Robertson this month. Tottenham Hotspur are believed to be keen on Robertson's signature during the winter transfer window.
As per talkSPORT, the Reds are open to selling Robertson and will bring back Tsimikas from loan to provide cover for Milos Kerkez. Tsimikas is said to be open to a return but it won't be straightforward because of a lack of recall option in the loan agreement.
Robertson has etched his name in Liverpool's history books during his remarkable eight-and-a-half year stint at the club. He has made 364 appearances for the club over the years scoring 12 goals and providing 68 assists.
Widely regarded as one of the best left-backs of his generation, Robertson is now 31 years of age and is no longer the player he used to be. He has mostly featured as a deputy to Milos Kerkez this season following the Hungarian's arrival in the summer.
Meanwhile, Tsimikas has struggled to impress during his stint at AS Roma on loan. He has played just 672 minutes of football across competitions the Giallorossi this season.