• Van Dijk has been peerless for Liverpool this season
• Liverpool return to action this weekend against Tottenham
Image: /REUTERS
Liverpool talisman Virgil van Dijk has warned his team against complacency in the Champions League quarter-final against Porto and told Manchester City that they face a fight to the bitter end for the Premier League title.
Van Dijk endured one of the most severe chasings of his season on Sunday night as Holland lost 3-2 at home against Germany in a Euro 2020 qualifier.
He struggled against the speed and direct running of Manchester City forward Leroy Sane. Yet Van Dijk has been peerless for Liverpool this season and Jurgen Klopp’s team return to action this weekend against Tottenham.
Van Dijk believes that Liverpool’s collective mentality is stronger now than last season when they came within a whisker of winning the Champions League but ultimately losing the final against Real Madrid. They now face Porto in the final eight this season.
Van Dijk said: “[The mentality] will help but it doesn’t guarantee we will win games. Everyone is going to say ‘Porto will be the easiest draw ever’ but Porto is a very difficult team to play against. They are not in the quarter-finals for no reason. We have to be ready for that.”
“But everything is positive. We are in the race for the Premier League and Champions League. It is very tough but we will challenge until the end.”
Van Dijk is a frontrunner for the individual prizes this season along with Manchester City pair Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling.
“We have not had the voting yet,’” the Dutchman smiled. “I am not sure who I will vote for but everyone knows a couple of players have been outstanding in the league. Let’s see!
Van Dijk’s Holland side are revitalised since missing out on the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Despite losing against Germany, they came back from 2-0 down to almost rescue the game and a young team featuring Ajax pair Matthijs De Ligt, Frankie De Jong and Memphis Depay will trouble England at the Nation’s League tournament this summer.
Van Dijk added: “We turned it around in the second half. We pressed better and did fantastic. We wanted to go for the 3-2 instead of managing the game. There has been a change of manager [Ronald Koeman has come in] and more younger players are in the squad. We have changed our tactics too. We showed that we never give up but there are so many things to improve.”
“England have fantastic players all over the pitch. Liverpool is the big thing now but it is exciting to look forward to for the summer.”