Virgil van Dijk says Liverpool ‘gave up’ in Man City humiliation in scathing rant
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk says the team gave up during their humiliating FA Cup quarter-final loss as he launched a scathing rant at his team-mates
Virgil van Dijk accused Liverpool of ‘giving up’(Image: Liverpool FC, Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Virgil van Dijk has pointed the blame following Liverpool’s humiliating FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Manchester City.
The Reds captain admitted Liverpool were guilty of throwing in the towel during their devastating 4-0 mauling at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday – and aren’t displaying the “togetherness” required to rescue their campaign.
Liverpool endured their heaviest defeat under Arne Slot’s stewardship in the latest blow of a dismal season that has now seen them lose 15 matches – their highest tally in a single campaign since 2014/15 when they suffered 18 defeats. Despite making a promising start against City, Liverpool conceded four goals within a devastating 20-minute spell spanning either side of the interval, with their absence of urgency brutally punished.
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Slot’s men now confront the daunting challenge of regrouping for Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg at defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, who knocked the Reds out of the tournament last season.
And Van Dijk delivered a scathing verdict on Saturday’s woeful showing while offering an apology to the travelling Liverpool faithful, many of whom had departed well before the final whistle.
“I’ve been there already many times this season when I’ve had hope and then we couldn’t build on performances,” he said. “Our second half, the intensity we didn’t match, the challenges we didn’t win, it was tough. To lose then 4-0 is tough. Am I sick of repeating myself? 100%, of course. I can understand the fans’ frustration as well.
“Obviously you come out of the dressing room (after half-time) with the right intentions to score and make it 2-1 and change the game, but the opposite happened and then to come back from 3-0 is obviously very difficult.
“But also you shouldn’t give up, and that’s maybe what happened at a certain point. It’s mentally very tough at the moment, I must say. I’ve been lucky enough to play for Liverpool for so many years and the main thing always was the togetherness.
“Now, obviously, we are in a little bit of a transition so we have to find it. It’s still difficult to then perform each and every three days if we don’t have it consistently. The togetherness on the pitch to show it for 90 plus minutes every three or four days. That is difficult.”
Van Dijk added: “I am trying to think how we can turn it around but we have been going through this for almost 75% of the season.
“Where we do well but we can’t build on certain things and we fall back into games where we get beat on intensity or beat on how much you really want to go for it. It is a difficult one to take and everyone has to look at themselves. I am speaking for myself but it is mentally tough at the moment to take this.
“We already spoke about it in the dressing room but it’s on us. The fans were there to support us and I can only apologise to the fans for what we have shown, especially the second half by the way. It’s difficult. Mentally it has been a very tough season overall.
“But we have a responsibility, not only to ourselves but especially to the fans and, if we want to make something out of this season, we have to try and do something special in the next three games.”
The loss has intensified the scrutiny on under pressure manager Slot, with Liverpool also facing a struggle to earn even a Champions League spot for next campaign having claimed just one point from nine in the Premier League to sit in fifth position.
And when questioned if the squad are delivering enough for the head coach, Van Dijk said: “Well, it’s a together thing, isn’t it? Obviously, he’s responsible as the manager, but we are the ones on the pitch that have to do it.
“I’ve been repeating myself too many times. You know, obviously, it goes out in the media because obviously I’m here all the time.
“We let our fans down. We let ourselves down and the manager, but we let our fans down. Up until the penalty, maybe not, but the way we played especially in the second half and that must hurt for everyone. It definitely hurts me.”
