Seven months ago, Liverpool were top of the Premier League and in contention to send Jurgen Klopp on his magic carpet out of Anfield with four trophies to go with his carriage clock - but they had to settle for one. And as skipper Van Dijk surveyed the first 13 games of new pied piper Arne Slot ’s reign, he warned it would be January before they could be cast as contenders to wear the crown.
Eleven wins, a wake-up call at home to Nottingham Forest and a thrilling, rollercoaster draw at Arsenal suggest Slot is going to be in the mix for tying red ribbons round a pot or two. But four of Liverpool’s next six Premier League games are against Aston Villa, Manchester City, Newcastle and Everton, while their next two Champions League assignments are the German ‘Unschlagbare’ (Invincibles) of Bayer Leverkusen and holders Real Madrid.
And Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup trip to Brighton is unlikely to be a stick of rock and candy floss on the promenade. No wonder Van Dijk, 33, is refusing to shout the odds after surviving a torrid battle at the Emirates, where Arsenal fans are convinced he should have been sent off after just six minutes.
He said: “I don’t know how important that point will be - we are still in October. People spoke about that if you lose (at Arsenal), you will lose the league, and they have absolutely no clue. The season is so, so long, there are so many twists and turns that could happen and will happen, but we focus only on the games ahead.
“The team that sets a very good foundation before December, and then goes through December in the best way possible without any injuries and good results, has a good chance to be top of the league. It was a tough one for both sides against Arsenal. We got a point, a well-deserved point in the end. Now we go back and focus on Brighton because that will be a tough game on Wednesday as well.”
There is a sense that Liverpool have all lost been flying under the radar, with Slot’s flying start disrupting the narrative of following Klopp to be an impossible task. "At the start of the season, when a new manager is coming in nobody thinks about how good it could go,” said Van Dijk.
Van Dijk enjoyed a tough battle with Arsenal's Kai Havertz
“The results have been outstanding but we are just trying to be the best version of ourselves as a team and individuals. The games we have played so far, we have shown amazing football, defending and attacking, but there are also moments that we have to improve.”
It has been a bitter-sweet few weeks for Van Dijk. His imperious form at club level was punctuated by a first red card for Holland, in 77 international caps, against Hungary earlier this month - which annoyed him, branding the two yellow cards a “bummer.”
And TV pundits including Gary Neville were critical of VVD failing to cover full-back Andy Robertson as the Scotland defender was dumped on his backside by Bukayo Saka before Arsenal’s opening goal. He was fortunate to escape a card in an early clash with Arsenal striker Kai Havertz, kicking out in an off-the-ball tangle which had Gunners fans seeing red.
But Van Dik was dismissive of the incident, saying: “It is a physical game, these things happen. If you watch the battle we had during the game, it goes both ways.” Although Arsenal finished with three of their first-choice back four missing through injury or suspension, Van Dijk aimed a subtle dig at the narrative that the Gunners’ horizons were limited because of their absentees.
He sniffed: “We keep speaking about them missing players, and big players being out, but that is part of football and we will also miss certain players.”
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