Programme notesVirgil van Dijk: We must work hard - I believe in the talent within this group
Virgil van Dijk has spoken of his excitement at the talent Liverpool possess and believes they are only going to get stronger as the season continues under new head coach Arne Slot.
The Reds claimed victory in last weekend's 2024-25 Premier League opener at Ipswich Town and will host Brentford in their first home fixture of the new campaign on Sunday (4.30pm BST).
The contest with the Bees will be Slot's competitive Anfield bow as he aims to make it two wins from two in his reign on Merseyside.
In the matchday programme, captain Van Dijk writes: “One of the great privileges of captaining Liverpool FC is the chance to lead the team out at Anfield, and so I am hugely excited to begin our home Premier League campaign against Brentford on Sunday.
- Get your copy of the matchday programme at Anfield on Sunday or order online here
“Last weekend was a good start for us, with the hard-fought victory over Ipswich Town. Not a perfect one by any means – as the head coach says, there is still plenty of room for improvement – but a good one nonetheless. Three points on the opening weekend of the season is always the first objective, and now we hope to follow that up with three more against a Brentford team that also enjoyed success in its opening fixture.
“From our perspective, it is about building on the many positives we saw in the second half last weekend, but also learning from some of the difficulties we encountered in the first half. I have said many times that we are still a work in progress, but it was certainly encouraging to see how we were able to take control of the game against Ipswich, and I am convinced that with the quality we have in our dressing room, we are only going to get better as the season goes on.
“Brentford, as ever, will provide a tough test. It is never an easy game when you play against them, and having seen their victory over Crystal Palace last weekend, they look like they will be strong again this season. They have good players and they have made some good signings during the summer – including, of course, Fabio Carvalho and Sepp van den Berg, who I’m sure will be given a good reception on their return to Anfield.
“Of course, this is seen as something of a new era at Liverpool, with a new head coach in charge and a lot of new staff joining the club. But some things will never change. The level of expectation will always be huge, for example, and as players we relish the challenge of living up to those expectations.
“And as captain, I accept responsibility for ensuring that our standards, in every game and in every training session, remain as high as possible. There can be no excuses from our side on that front.
“As I say, I believe in the talent within this group, and it is our job to make sure that we continue to work hard and to improve each and every day. We know that last season didn’t end as we wanted it to, but we also know that there were a lot of things throughout the campaign that we can learn from and hopefully use going forward, as we pursue our aims.
“Those aims haven’t changed, as far as I’m concerned. We want to be successful; we want to compete until the very last day in every competition that we play in. And yes, we know it will be very difficult to do that, but we will try.
“I can promise each and every one of you that we will give everything possible to deliver a successful season, a team you can be proud of.”
- Get your copy of the matchday programme at Anfield on Sunday or order online here
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