Van Dijk: “A disappointing defeat” for Liverpool in the Community Shield
Virgil van Dijk described Liverpool’s defeat to Crystal Palace in the Community Shield as a “disappointing” start to the defense of the Premier League title.
The match at Wembley ended 2-2, despite Liverpool taking the lead twice thanks to new signings Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong, ultimately losing in the penalty shootout 3-2.
Mohamed Salah missed his penalty, and then Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliott saw their attempts saved by goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
Liverpool are looking to defend their title for the first time since 1984, and captain Van Dijk was not satisfied with his team’s start to the season.Virgil van Dijk, decepcionado tras la derrota del Liverpool ante Crystal Palace. (AMA/Getty Images)
“Obviously, we lost today, so it’s not a good start, but we’ll have to take it game by game,” he told Alofoke Deportes. “That’s the mentality and it has always been the mentality for us. It’s going to be a very intense season in all competitions, and we have to be ready to demonstrate our quality in that sense.”
Virgil van Dijk
Coach Arne Slot chose his four new signings to start the match at Wembley, and in the first 20 minutes, three of them had already participated directly in a goal.
Dean Henderson on his heroics in penalties: “I love the big moments”
Florian Wirtz named Player of the Year in Germany
Liverpool confirms the transfer of Darwin Núñez to Al Hilal
Florian Wirtz, who arrived from Bayern Leverkusen in a £100 million ($134 million) deal, assisted Ekitike, who joined from Eintracht Frankfurt, after just four minutes.
Frimpong, also from Leverkusen, then beat Dean Henderson with a shot from a tight angle to give Liverpool a 2-1 lead, after Jean-Philippe Mateta equalized from the penalty spot, following a foul by Van Dijk on Ismaïla Sarr.
The Netherlands defender was satisfied with the contributions of his new teammates and how they have adapted to the club.Hugo Ekitike anotó el primer gol del Liverpool, seguido por el de Jeremie Frimpong. (Clive Mason/Getty Images)“The players who arrive bring quality to the team, we wish the players who leave the best in their next adventure and that’s how football sometimes works,” he said. “Everyone new, in my opinion, has adapted quite well, obviously it’s important when you arrive at a new club to be able to prove yourself immediately and you have to feel welcome, and I think the guys are feeling it.”
“I think we have very good players, we have quality players; that is obviously a reason why we won the Premier League last year, but not just because of the quality, but because of a lot of hard work and determination.”
Liverpool starts the Premier League season at Anfield on Friday against Bournemouth, and Van Dijk warned his teammates that they must play better.
“There were many good things in this match, but there was still a lot of work to do and we have five more days to prepare for the start of the Premier League, and that’s what we have to do,” he concluded.
