Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk spoke to reporters after the club’s 1-0 Champions League win over Inter Milan.
“It’s great to get the win. Especially at this stage where we’re trying to find consistent form and build on it.
Hopefully tonight’s performance is one of the ones we need. It was always going to be a tough game, but we controlled it well. It could have ended 0-0, but we got the victory in the end.
But this doesn’t change anything. There’s been a lot of criticism, which is normal when you’re not performing. We deserve that criticism.
We want to improve, we want to be consistent and win games. We’re not there yet. We have to stick together and be a unit like we always are. That’s what Liverpool is all about.”
On Salah:
“It’s a difficult situation, but we’re all in this together. Something happened between Salah and the club, he didn’t travel with us today – that’s the reality. I don’t think our focus or determination has changed at all.”
Should Salah apologize?
“If someone needs to apologize, I’m not the one to judge that. It’s about how he’s expressed his feelings over the past few days.
Clearly, it’s something the club needs to handle, and I’m part of that. Our focus remains the same, nothing else has changed. He’s been in training too.
The reality is that Salah will be heading to the Africa Cup of Nations soon. I’ve known him for a long time, we’re good friends and have been through a lot together. We communicate regularly, and these things should be handled internally within the club.We have to stay strong and not let external noise distract us.
The most important thing is communication. We need to get back on track as soon as possible and then focus on the game against Brighton.
You have to celebrate the good moments and enjoy the wins – otherwise, what’s the point? We’re staying here tonight, so we need to sleep well and eat well. We try to stay grounded and not get carried away.”
On Solid Defending:
“In the Leeds game, we also played well for the first 60 minutes, but if you don’t win and concede goals as easily as we did, it’s hard.
We tried to find consistency, but we knew they’re very good on the ball. Everyone gave their all and ran their socks off. It could have been 0-0, but we got the three points and move forward.”
On VAR Decision:
“The images were too quick, I don’t know if the ball actually hit his arm. When referees make such decisions, it has to be clear and obvious, but they’re looking for things that might not be there. I don’t think that’s good for the game.”
