Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has admitted he’s yet to fully digest a difficult season at Anfield, which has already resulted in Arne Slot losing his job.
Voetbal International have an interview with the 34-year-old today as he prepares for the World Cup, on the back of a disastrous season at Liverpool.
Liverpool struggles
The Reds headed into the season as Premier League champions, looking to defend their title on the back of a summer of huge spending on signings such as Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak.
Instead, they endured one of the most disappointing title defences in Premier League history, finishing fifth and 25 points behind winners Arsenal.
It also saw the team break multiple negative records across the campaign, such as losing 12 games in a season for the first time since 2014/15. Van Dijk was a part of all of it and admits he’s still to digest it all.
“There will be moments when I will have to put everything into perspective,” he said.
“That will be very tough. I know that already. I haven’t really been able to think about everything that happened last season yet. But right now, a short break was enough to switch to a positive mindset for this World Cup.
“I spent six wonderful days with my family, my mother, and my parents-in-law. We talked a lot about everything and just did absolutely nothing else for a while.’ ‘That was very nice and very peaceful.”
Toughest Liverpool season
The season was, undoubtedly, a tough one for all involved at Liverpool. From the tragic passing of Diogo Jota before the campaign to the fall out between Mohamed Salah and Arne Slot, alongside poor results, it was mentally draining to say the least.
Virgil van Dijk, as captain, bore a lot of responsibility as part of that. And he admits he felt that strain throughout the season.
“This was the toughest season of my career,” he added.
“That is clear. Especially on the mental level. It just kept going up and down. We almost never had the consistent feeling and level you strive for.
“As a group, as a club, as a player, as a person. As a team, we had very good matches, and then suddenly things went downhill again. Then you basically can’t go on.
“This year, a lot has come our way at Liverpool. From the moment I received the call with the terrible news about Diogo until the final match, in which we said goodbye to Mo Salah and Andy Robertson. I sat on the grass watching those two guys, with whom I had played for eight years.
“I have never experienced anything like it in all those years at Liverpool. It happened the way it happened.”
Arne Slot conversation
Players aren’t the only ones departing either, with Liverpool electing to part ways with Arne Slot last week.
Andoni Iraola has already been confirmed as his replacement. Van Dijk admits he’s spoken to his former boss but won’t share what was said.
“I’m not going to say anything about that,” he concluded.
“At this moment. I spoke to Arne personally, that is the most important thing. Exactly what we discussed remains between us. For now, my focus is entirely on the World Cup.”