Van Dijk Urges Liverpool to Stay Calm and Follow Arsenal’s Defensive Example

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has called for composure and defensive discipline after his team’s impressive 1-0 Champions League victory over Real Madrid at Anfield on Tuesday — a performance he described as their best of the season.

The win, which followed a 2-0 triumph over Aston Villa on Saturday, marked a crucial turnaround for the defending English champions, who had previously endured a torrid run — six defeats in seven matches and ten games without a clean sheet.

Real Madrid arrived in Merseyside in blistering form, but Liverpool’s defence held firm, limiting the 15-time European champions to few chances while Thibaut Courtois spared Madrid from a heavier defeat.

“It is easy to say now because we won twice in a row. In a world of chaos you have to stay calm and see perspective of things,” Van Dijk said after the match.
“We all know how football works — it can change overnight.”

Van Dijk urged his teammates to emulate Arsenal, who currently lead Liverpool by seven points at the top of the Premier League and have begun their Champions League campaign with four straight wins and eight consecutive clean sheets.

“You can see at the moment Arsenal are flying, and it is down to clean sheets and not conceding chances,” he added.
“We have the quality to hurt anyone on the break — it starts with the defending. Today you saw the hard work. We have to keep going. Sunday is going to be another difficult one.”

Liverpool’s next major challenge comes on Sunday, when they face Manchester City and in-form striker Erling Haaland, who has 26 goals this season for club and country.

Manager Arne Slot credited the team’s resurgence to the support of the Anfield crowd, noting how home advantage helped spark back-to-back wins.

“It helps if you can play in front of these fans and you can play in front of Real Madrid because I think that brings the best out of my players and out of our fans,” Slot said.
“A great performance against a team that only lost once all season. It could have been a bit more maybe.”

Defender Conor Bradley was one of the standout performers, keeping Vinicius Junior quiet throughout, while Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté effectively nullified Kylian Mbappé’s threat.

“Conor was outstanding. To be up against Vinicius so many times one-on-one is not for everyone. He did outstanding today,” Slot praised.

The victory, coupled with renewed defensive solidity, has restored optimism at Liverpool as they look to close the gap on Arsenal in the title race.

Opinion Nigeria News