Virgil van Dijk has consistently acknowledged Liverpool’s defensive challenges and emphasized the need for improvement. Following a match against Brentford in January 2023, he stated, “There are things to improve on which we will discuss.” He highlighted issues like “losing the ball in difficult situations” and “being a bit more open.”
In August 2019, after a match against Chelsea, van Dijk reflected on the team’s defensive organization, noting that “the gaps were too big” between teammates, with “the midfield often failing to shield the back line.”
More recently, after a match against Paris Saint-Germain, he praised goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s performance, saying that Alisson’s saves “frustrated them [PSG] a little bit,” leading to “a shift” in the game’s dynamics.
These insights underscore van Dijk’s awareness of Liverpool’s defensive shortcomings and his commitment to addressing them through collective effort and strategic adjustments.