Jurgen Klopp has long insisted he wants Liverpool to be the most uncomfortable team to play against in the Premier League.
But when it comes to difficult positions of their own, his new-look side are becoming adept at digging themselves out of trouble.
Last Saturday’s 1-1 draw with champions Manchester City was the tenth time the men’s side have struggled for at least a point in their last 11 group games. The only exception this season is the last one. They lost 2-1 against Tottenham Hotspur in September due to VAR. That determination, character and ruthlessness have proved the cornerstone of just one defeat in 24 Premier League games as Klopp’s side emerge as title contenders once again.
A key breakthrough came from a second-half submission during a trip to the Etihad in April, where a 4-1 defeat will be seen as a tragic end to Klopp’s first big team, Liverpool.Liverpool said: “Obviously we don’t want to fall behind from the start but then we have to continue to stick to our pre-match plan and show extra resilience.” Captain Virgil. Van Dijk will host Saturday’s draw. But especially in the second half we played much better and we know we can create chances with the quality we have. We had a lot of chances to score in the first half and I think it was a fair result. “It’s a very important moment and we hope to see a good improvement on last season’s results.
Our reaction to the 1-0 scoreline shows that we are on the right track. I think everyone will be happy to see the result,” he said. .Liverpool, who missed out on Champions League qualification last season, exceeded expectations, especially given their tough opening schedule, to finish just two points behind leaders Arsenal. But Van Dijk is confident the dressing room will remain the same.”We weren’t disappointed this season when we won the league,” he says. “We looked game by game, that’s the motivation and the mentality we have to have.
It’s no secret that we want to challenge all the competition and this year we’re looking at consistency, which we lacked last year. “But we are in November with a difficult period coming up, difficult games ahead of us and anything can happen, but hopefully if we don’t get many injuries we can just see what the season brings. But we have to be confident and give it everything, and we have an enjoy it as well especially after the disappointment of last season.”The depth of the squad is set to be tested with Liverpool fearful both Alisson Becker and Diogo Jota face an extended spell on the sidelines. Both cities suffered muscle injuries and tests were carried out to determine the extent of the damage.
Trent Alexander-Arnold gave Liverpool a deserved point at the Etihad with his first goal of the season on an afternoon in which previously dangerous City full-back Jeremy Doku was scrutinized for his defensive skills. Van Dijk said: “I think any defender would go one-on-one with him. He’s a very good dribbler. I think he (Alexander-Arnold) had a tough afternoon overall, but he can defend together and maybe create two by two. a situation. I tried. “He’s still very good defensively and has some very special qualities in possession, so he has the full package. He needs to keep doing what he’s doing, improve and maintain a high standard for himself. we have everything for it.” So is he.” Alexander-Arnold After playing in midfield for England in the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia, Alexander-Arnold has returned to his usual right-back position.
Van Dijk believes there is not too much pressure on Liverpool to push for the 25-year-old after accepting the back-to-back role offered by Klopp last April.”I think he plays well where he is,” said the Netherlands international. “He has the freedom to mix things up and he has to because he sees teams doing that sometimes. So they have to be able to switch between staying outside and staying inside.I think it was a good learning curve for him as well and he performed well on Saturday because he was playing against one of the best interiors right now.”It’s about blending. We’re still learning, he (Trent) is still learning and as a team we’re still learning how to adapt to certain situations.
I think City are very good in this situation. They have a good plan and we execute it better. It’s a new dimension, but it’s still a work in progress, so you can benefit from it.
