VIRGIL VAN DIJK SLAMS LIVERPOOL’S SEASON, INSISTING CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUALIFICATION IS NOT ENOUGH
Liverpool chase Champions League football, but Virgil van Dijk insists qualification is not success. We track the upcoming summer rebuild.
Liverpool caught a bit of luck over the weekend with their hopes for Champions League football, but Virgil van Dijk made it clear he doesn’t think qualifying should be the measure of their success.
Everyone at the club knows how crucial it is to get back into Europe’s top competition. It’s not just about pride. Missing out means less money, which would hurt their plans in the summer.
Finishing in the top five might look good after a disappointing season, especially since they were defending Premier League champions, but Van Dijk doesn’t believe that’s enough. He said the team can’t settle for just scraping into the Champions League.
“We’ve got five more games, and we have to get Champions League qualification done,” Van Dijk said. “But honestly, that’s not the standard I expect at Liverpool. Qualifying isn’t enough.”
Their win over Everton in the Merseyside derby snapped a rotten streak of four losses out of five, including getting knocked out of the FA Cup and Champions League. At one point, it felt like the whole season was going downhill fast.
Now, Crystal Palace are coming up on Saturday. Palace is focused on their UEFA Conference League semi-final, so this is a big chance for Liverpool, especially with Manchester United away the following week.
Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah scored at Everton, but things are changing. Van Dijk turns 35 in July and is about to start his last year on contract. Salah and Andy Robertson are leaving in the summer. That’s a lot of experience walking out the door.
The club will have to find replacements from the current squad. A new vice-captain is named over the summer. Van Dijk wouldn’t reveal his pick but said, “I definitely have my opinion, and I always share it.”
He called for players to step up. “You grow into that role, or you already have it in you. It’s time for players to show it next season.”
He added, “After the World Cup, during pre-season, the manager will decide. We just need to get this right and make sure we don’t have a repeat of this season.”
When asked about whether the squad needs a reset, Van Dijk said, “You’d have to ask the guys higher up. Leadership is falling away as players leave, so others have to step up and see what the decision-makers plan to do. I’m confident everyone wants the club to stay competitive. We just can’t have another season like this one.”
IBRAHIMA KONATé NEARS OFFICIAL LONG-TERM CONTRACT EXTENSION, SECURING FUTURE AT LIVERPOOL
Ibrahima Konaté confirms he is close to signing a new Liverpool contract, securing his future amid a major squad overhaul.
Ibrahima Konaté is set to sign a new long-term deal with Liverpool, finally putting all the rumours about his future to rest.
His contract was up this summer, and people kept linking him to clubs like Real Madrid. But after Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Everton on Sunday, Konate made it clear he never planned to leave. He’s become a regular since joining from RB Leipzig, and he told reporters negotiations with the club have been going on for a while. Now, the agreement’s almost done.
“We’ve been talking with the club for a long time,” Konate said, according to the Liverpool Echo. “We’re close. Honestly, I think everyone wanted this, and we’re nearly there. There’s a good chance I’ll be here next season; that’s what I always wanted.”
He’s just waiting for the paperwork to go through, but once it’s official, he’s sure sporting director Richard Hughes will be happy to share what Konate told him months ago.
“It’s taken a while, yeah, but that’s how negotiations go,” he added. “Just like with Van Dijk and Mo Salah last season, they signed in April. Maybe this is just how the club handles these things.”
Liverpool is set for a big summer change. Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson are both expected to leave after nearly a decade, and van Dijk is now in the last year of his contract as he approaches 35. Naturally, there's a lot of talk about who steps up as leader in the dressing room next.
The club has already lined up some fresh faces. Jeremy Jacquet, the £60 million centre-back from Rennes, is on his way, and promising defender Giovanni Leoni is working his way back from an ACL injury he picked up last September.
Konate turns 27 next month, and he’s ready to step up and help lead the club into a new era. “I already act as a leader for the younger guys, for my own generation, everyone, really,” he said. “That’s just part of football. The legends move on, and then it’s our turn. I’ve been preparing for this for years, and especially over the last few months.”
“It’s a big responsibility, though. I can’t do it all alone. I’ll need everyone’s help.”
He also mentioned once more that he hopes people go and hear Richard Hughes’s side of the contract talks, saying, “Just wait till it’s all sorted, then ask him what I told him months ago before all the noise started.”
It’s been a tough season for Konate. Liverpool’s form has been erratic; they’ve lost 17 games in all competitions, including 10 in the league. Off the field, things have been even harder; Konate lost his father in January. He admits the last few months have been rough both personally and on the pitch. Still, he’s keeping positive and looking forward to what’s next, for himself and for Liverpool.
MAMARDASHVILI STRETCHERED OFF: LIVERPOOL TURN TO THIRD-CHOICE WOODMAN FOR DERBY GLORY
Liverpool wins 2-1 at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Arne Slot praises debutant Woodman after Mamardashvili injury.
Arne Slot shared that Giorgi Mamardashvili had to be taken to the hospital after suffering an injury, which unexpectedly handed Freddie Woodman his debut in the Merseyside derby for Liverpool.
Mamardashvili left the pitch on a stretcher following extensive treatment for a leg wound caused during Everton’s equaliser by Beto, while Mohamed Salah had opened the scoring earlier at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Stepping in once more for the hampered Alisson Becker, Mamardashvili was replaced by Woodman, who managed to keep a clean sheet as Liverpool clinched a dramatic victory thanks to Virgil van Dijk’s injury-time header in the 248th derby.
With both Alisson's and Mamardashvili’s recoveries uncertain, it looks like Woodman could be gearing up for his first Premier League start at home against Crystal Palace on Saturday, the same team against which he made his Liverpool debut in the League Cup defeat last October.
Slot commented, “Giorgi had to go to the hospital with a big wound, so we’ll have to wait and see how he’s doing.
“But Freddie deserves a lot of credit. Coming in just after conceding the equaliser, when the crowd was already expecting an Everton goal, he really stepped up.
“He stayed composed at a tricky moment, when he hesitated about whether to catch the ball, but kept his nerves steady.
“Freddie’s worked hard for this chance. Usually third-choice goalkeepers don’t get many opportunities, but given how this season has unfolded, anyone playing even in the under-8s at Liverpool should be ready to make their debut; it’s quite something to witness.”
Liverpool had already been without Hugo Ekitike and Joe Gomez, who played against Paris Saint-Germain last Tuesday. Slot named only eight players on the bench for the Everton match, including academy goalkeeper Armin Pecsi.
He added, “Is there anything surprising about the injury situation this season? Maybe not, since I had two goalkeepers on the bench today, which isn't typical. But of course, it’s related to the availability of other positions as well.
“Freddie did a great job.”
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