Programme notesVirgil van Dijk: Everyone has a part to play this season
Virgil van Dijk has highlighted the importance of every member of Liverpool’s squad as they prepare to begin the third of four competitions this season at Anfield tonight.
The Reds host Leicester City in a Carabao Cup third-round tie looking to maintain the momentum that has seen them reel off six consecutive victories – five in the Premier League and one in the Europa League – since an opening-day draw at Chelsea.
In his notes for the official matchday programme, captain Van Dijk writes: “One of the biggest lessons of the last few weeks – and even further back than that – has been the importance of having a squad made up of players who are ready to make a contribution whether they start games or come on off the bench.
“There are so many examples that it is impossible to list them all, but in all of the fixtures we have played so far this season one of the biggest features has been that it doesn’t matter who starts and who finishes – everyone has a part to play.
“It was exactly the same on Sunday with Joel Matip coming back into the starting line-up and showing all of the experience and quality that makes him such a top defender, Diogo Jota coming on as substitute to score a goal that was hugely important, and so many others doing their bit.
“It was the same in our previous games against LASK and Wolves too with the standard having been set by Darwin Nunez during our win at Newcastle back in August.
“Joey G [Gomez] has come in and played a couple of positions unbelievably well and with zero fuss. I love this. Not only does it bring even more competition for places, it gives us the chance to change games when we need to because it gives us different qualities at different times.
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“It is also something that we are going to need because we are in four competitions and each one of them brings its own challenges. Tonight it is the Carabao Cup so I am sure the manager will have weighed up his options in terms of team selection but, again, whoever is fortunate enough to be given a shirt has to live up to the standards that are already being set.
“The work that has been done up to this point allows it to be like this. From the minute we came back from pre-season there has been a collective determination to do everything in our power, individually and as a group, to improve together.
“You could see it at our training camp in Germany, on tour in Singapore, at the AXA Training Centre on a daily basis and in all of the games we have played to date.
“That is not to say that everything has been perfect so far – far from it. There is so much that still needs to be worked on and you can rest assured that not only are we aware of that, we are determined to do whatever it takes to make the improvements that are still necessary.
“But the attitude and commitment have been real positives and long may this continue.”